The following are some of the main mechanisms of liver injury [30]:

  • Mitochondrial dysfunction: may be generated by the disruption of β-oxidation of lipids and oxidative energy production within the hepatocytes. Mitochondrial membrane permeabilization can lead to apoptosis, a rupture in mitochondrial membrane can lead to ATP reduction and subsequent necrosis, and an abnormal function can also lead to fat accumulation, so steatosis can be present [31].

  • Oxidative stress: is produced by ATP depletion accompanied by increase in intracellular calcium concentration, it can generate necrosis [28].

.5. Clinical manifestations

The mechanisms of drug-induced liver injury are related with the clinical manifestations. The main clinical-pathological manifestations of hepatotoxicity and its histological findings include [6242639]

  • Acute hepatitis: caused by a wide variety of drugs and characterized by parenchymal inflammation, necrosis and Kupffer cells in sinusoids, which include symptoms like malaise, asthenia, anorexia, jaundice can be present but not always [15].

  • Chronic hepatitis: characterized by persistent biochemical abnormalities beyond 6 months; fibrosis or cirrhosis may be present.

  • Fulminant hepatitis: also called acute liver failure may cause death and its manifestations are necrosis and microvesicular steatosis.

  • Cholestatic hepatitis: manifested by mixed hepatocellular and cholestatic injury accompanied by inflammation.

  • Cholestasis: caused by bile plugs; include symptoms like jaundice and pruritus is characterized by minimal inflammation.

  • Vanishing bile duct syndrome: presented by a paucity of bile ducts; inflammation and cholestasis may appear.

  • Granulomatous hepatitis: presence of granulomas in portal tracts or parenchymal, accompanied with inflammation.

  • Steatohepatitis: is the presence of fat in hepatocytes accompanied by inflammation and fibrosis.

  • Macrovesicular steatosis: characterized by the presence of medium- or large-sized fat droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes.

  • Microvesicular steatosis: characterized by the presence of small-sized fat droplets in the cytoplasm of hepatocytes.

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