Signaling pathways of liver regeneration: Biological mechanisms and implications

The liver possesses a unique regenerative ability to restore its original mass, in this regard, partial hepa-tectomy (PHx) and partial liver transplantation (PLTx) can be executed smoothly and safely, which has important implications for the treatment of liver disease. Liver regeneration (LR) can be the very compli-cated procedure that involves multiple cytokines and transcription factors that interact with each other to activate different signaling pathways. Activation of these pathways can drive the LR process, which can be divided into three stages, namely, the initiation, progression, and termination stages. Therefore, it is important to investigate the pathways involved in LR to elucidate the mechanism of LR. This study reviews the latest research on the key signaling pathways in the different stages of LR.