• Muhammad I Arshad, Claire Piquet-Pellorce, and Michel Samson.
• Institut de Recherche Santé Environnement & Travail, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (Inserm), U.1085, Rennes, France.
• Liver Int. 2012 Sep 1; 32 (8): 1200-10.

Abstract'Alarmins' are a group of proteins or molecules that are released from cells during cellular demise to alert the host immune system. Two of them, Interleukin-33 (IL-33) and high-mobility group box-1 (HMGB1), share many similarities of cellular localization, functions and involvement in various inflammatory pathologies including hepatitis. The expressions of IL-33 and HMGB1, and their receptors ST2 and receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), are substantially up-regulated during acute and chronic hepatitis. Recent data evidence a possible protective role of IL-33/ST2 axis during liver injury. A contrast in expression of IL-33 and HMGB1 alarmins were associated with type of hepatocellular death mediated by immune cells or hepato-toxic agents. The massive release of active form of IL-33 from hepatocytes may affect the recruitment and activation of its ST2-positive target immune cells in the liver to confer its alarmin functions. This review highlights the emerging roles of alarmin proteins in various liver pathologies, by focusing on classical HMGB1 and a newly discovered alarmin, the IL-33.© 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

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