Multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

Zixin ZHAO; Yeqing ZHU; Cunxin YE; Zhuoyuan SONG; Dong SONG

doi:10.12449/JCH260533

Volume 42 Issue 5

May 2026

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Article Navigation > Journal of Clinical Hepatology > 2026 > 42(5): 1223-1228

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Multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260533

Kangda College，Nanjing Medical University，Lianyungang，Jiangsu 222000，China

Research funding:

2022 General Project of Philosophy and Social Science Research in Jiangsu Universities (2022SJYB1865);

2023 General Project of Education Research Topic of Nanjing Medical University (2023ZC104);

The Second Phase of ‘Scientific Research Talent Training Plan’ at Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University (KD2022KYRC012)

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Corresponding author: SONG Dong， songdong@njmu.edu.cn （ORCID： 0009-0002-2432-2779）
Received Date: 2025-10-14
Accepted Date: 2025-10-27
Published Date: 2026-05-25

Abstract

Abstract

Hepatic encephalopathy is a common and serious complication of end-stage liver diseases such as liver cirrhosis， and it is basically a neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from metabolic disorders caused by severe acute or chronic liver dysfunction or portosystemic shunt. In clinical practice， the onset of hepatic encephalopathy does not completely correlate linearly with the level of blood ammonia and is often triggered by extrahepatic factors， suggesting the presence of complex multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy. Based on the four main pathogeneses of ammonia toxicity， inflammation， neurotransmitter imbalance， and oxidative/nitrosative stress， this article systematically elaborates on the mechanism of multiorgan crosstalk in hepatic encephalopathy and discusses the emerging risk factors such as sarcopenia and diabetes mellitus， in order to provide a novel theoretical framework for deepening the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of hepatic encephalopathy and formulating clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies in the future.
- Hepatic Encephalopathy,
- Pathologic Processes,
- Multiorgan Crosstalk

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References

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Multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

DOI: 10.12449/JCH260533

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Multiorgan crosstalk in the pathogenesis of hepatic encephalopathy

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