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7439662 
Journal Article 
Impact of Endocrine Disorders on the Liver 
Di Ciaula, A; Christidis, G; Krawczyk, M; Lammert, F; Portincasa, P; , 
2021 
157-177 
The key role of the liver in systemic homeostatic processes and metabolic functions make unavoidable that this vital organ is a privileged target for a number of endocrine disorders. This is true also considering the wide panel of functional relationships with multiple endocrine organs. Impaired liver functions, on the other hand, pave the way to disrupted hormonal activity. This possibility depends on the central role of the liver in regulating the metabolism of several hormones and on the liver’s capability to interact with key signaling pathways. Thyroid hormones have a role in regulating metabolic processes in the liver, and, on the other hand, thyroxine and triiodothyronine undergo liver metabolization, and the liver has a key role in regulating the systemic effects of these hormones. Similarly, complex pathways regulate the relationships between the adrenal gland and the liver, and dysfunctions in these two organs are frequently strongly interrelated. Hypopituitarism generates a phenotype similar to metabolic syndrome, with an increased risk of fatty liver. On the other hand, a compromised liver function (as that observed in liver cirrhosis) can stimulate the secretion of pituitary hormones. Finally, strong correlations exist between metabolic function in the liver and sex hormones in males and females, and both estrogens and androgens, if unbalanced, are able to alter liver function and to generate liver damage. In turn, chronic liver diseases strongly affect the correct function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.