Hepatocellular Carcinoma and the Multifaceted Relationship with Its Microenvironment: Attacking the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Defensive Fortress.

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a malignant tumor that originates from hepatocytes in an inflammatory substrate due to different degrees of liver fibrosis up to cirrhosis. In recent years, there has been growing interest in the role played by the complex interrelationship between hepatocellular carcinoma and its microenvironment, capable of influencing tumourigenesis, neoplastic growth, and its progression or even inhibition. The microenvironment is made up of an intricate network of mesenchymal cells, immune system cells, extracellular matrix, and growth factors, as well as proinflammatory cytokines and translocated bacterial products coming from the intestinal microenvironment via the enterohepatic circulation. The aim of this paper is to review the role of the HCC microenvironment and describe the possible implications in the choice of the most appropriate therapeutic scheme in the prediction of tumor response or resistance to currently applied treatments and in the possible development of future therapeutic perspectives, in order to circumvent resistance and break down the tumor's defensive fort.

Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Piecing a Complex Puzzle Together.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), comprising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, are systemic and multifaceted disorders which affect other organs in addition to the gastrointestinal tract in up to 50% of cases. Extraintestinal manifestations may present before or after IBD diagnosis and negatively impact the intestinal disease course and patients' quality of life, often requiring additional diagnostic evaluations or specific treatments. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease worldwide. Current evidence shows an increased prevalence of NAFLD (and its more advanced stages, such as liver fibrosis and steatohepatitis) in IBD patients compared to the general population. Many different IBD-specific etiopathogenetic mechanisms have been hypothesized, including chronic inflammation, malabsorption, previous surgical interventions, changes in fecal microbiota, and drugs. However, the pathophysiological link between these two diseases is still poorly understood. In this review, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the potential mechanisms which have been investigated so far and highlight open issues still to be addressed for future studies.

Ultrasound Evaluation of Sarcopenia in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Faster and Easier Way to Detect Patients at Risk.

The condition of sarcopenia, defined as a progressive loss of musculoskeletal mass and muscular strength, is very common in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and presents a remarkable association with its prognosis. Thus, the early identification of sarcopenic patients represents one of the potential new approaches in the global assessment of HCC, and there is increasing interest regarding the potential therapeutic implications of this condition. The gold standard for the quantification of muscle mass is magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT), but these techniques are not always feasible because of the high-cost equipment needed. A new possibility in sarcopenia identification could be muscle ultrasound examination. The measurement of specific parameters such as the muscle thickness, muscular fascicles length or pennation angle has shown a good correlation with CT or MRI values and a good diagnostic accuracy in the detection of sarcopenia. Recently, these results were also confirmed specifically in patients with chronic liver disease. This review summarizes the role of imaging for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in patients with HCC, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of the diagnostic techniques currently validated for this aim and the future perspectives for the identification of this condition.

From the Colon to the Liver: How Gut Microbiota May Influence Colorectal Cancer Metastatic Potential.

The gut microbiota's influence on human tumorigenesis is a burning topic in medical research. With the new ontological perspective, which considers the human body and its pathophysiological processes as the result of the interaction between its own eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic microorganisms living in different body niches, great interest has arisen in the role of the gut microbiota on carcinogenesis. Indeed, dysbiosis is currently recognized as a cancer-promoting condition, and multiple molecular mechanisms have been described by which the gut microbiota may drive tumor development, especially colorectal cancer (CRC). Metastatic power is undoubtedly one of the most fearsome features of neoplastic tissues. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanisms is of utmost importance to improve patients' prognosis. The liver is the most frequent target of CRC metastasis, and new evidence reveals that the gut microbiota may yield an effect on CRC diffusion to the liver, thus defining an intriguing new facet of the so-called "gut-liver axis". In this review, we aim to summarize the most recent data about the microbiota's role in promoting or preventing hepatic metastasis from CRC, highlighting some potential future therapeutic targets.

Extracellular Vesicles: Novel Potential Therapeutic Agents in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.

Patients affected by inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) can nowadays benefit from a growing number of pharmacological options. However, in moderate-to-severe cases, the therapeutic response is still far from optimal, and treatment changes and optimizations are often required. Thus, researchers in this field are strongly engaged in studies aiming to identify new potential therapeutic targets. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are tiny subcellular bodies with a phospholipid bilayer envelope containing bioactive molecules, which are released from different cells and are involved in intercellular communication. Recent pre-clinical data show their emerging role in the pathogenesis and treatment of IBD. In our review, we summarize current evidence about the function of EVs as active therapeutic agents in ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, analyzing the properties of EVs derived from different cellular sources and the mechanisms through which they may improve intestinal inflammation.