Perspective of Mitochondrial Hepatology

Mitochondrial hepatology is a part of mitochondrial medicine. Hepatocytes are rich in the mitochondria, they play a key role in the metabolic processes of carbohydrate, fat and protein oxidation for the energy production and they are involved in both anabolic and catabolic reactions. Metabolic fatty liver diseases represent a broad spectrum of liver diseases that begin with simple steatosis and can progress to advanced stages of steatohepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Mitochondrial diseases include NAFLD (according to the new terminology MASLD-metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease) and NASH (MASH-steatohepatitis associated with metabolic dysfunction). Diagnostic use of the noninvasive HRR (High-resolution respirometry) method in blood cells and targeted therapy of damaged hepatocyte mitochondria with diet, increased physical activity, antioxidants, coenzyme Q10 and transplantation of healthy mitochondria, is a new perspective, a novel way for the development of antifibrotic drugs for patients with MASLD/MASH.