The mechanism of bile acid induced cholestatic liver injury remains controversial, thus hindering the development of new therapies for these diseases. In this research highlight, we briefly review the evolution of our understanding of the pathogenesis of bile acid induced liver injury, and summarize our recent findings on this topic. Our data suggests that under pathophysiological conditions bile acid induced liver injury is mediated by inflammatory responses that are initiated from stressed hepatocytes. We conclude by mentioning potential new therapeutic approaches for treating cholestatic liver injury based on these pathophysiologic concepts.
Keywords: Bile acids; cholestasis; inflammatory cytokines.