Current progress on the microbial therapies for acute liver failure

Front Microbiol. 2024 Oct 16:15:1452663. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1452663. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Acute liver failure (ALF), associated with a clinical fatality rate exceeding 80%, is characterized by severe liver damage resulting from various factors in the absence of pre-existing liver disease. The role of microbiota in the progression of diverse liver diseases, including ALF, has been increasingly recognized, with the interactions between the microbiota and the host significantly influencing both disease onset and progression. Despite growing interest in the microbiological aspects of ALF, comprehensive reviews remain limited. This review critically examines the mechanisms and efficacy of microbiota-based treatments for ALF, focusing on their role in prevention, treatment, and prognosis over the past decade.

Keywords: acute liver failure; acute liver injury; fecal microbiota transplantation; gut-liver-axis; microbiota; probiotics; type A hepatic encephalopathy.

Publication types

  • Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This study was supported by the Tertiary Education Scientific Research Project of the Guangzhou Municipal Education Bureau (No. 202235423 and No. 202032875) and the Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province (No. 2022B1111070006).