The Role of Senescence in Hepatic Diseases

Cellular senescence (CS) is a phenomenon characterized by the permanent cell growth arrest in normal and altered physiological processes. A myriad of factors stimulates the appearance of this phenomenon, which has been placed in different scenarios, such as aging, tissue repair, tumor suppressor, and tumor promoter. The fact that CS is involved in multiple processes confers an intriguing complexity worthy to be summarized in terms of liver diseases. Since experimental and clinical studies have revealed a strong association of the CS with chronic liver diseases, in this chapter we discuss the current status of the field with a focus on the senescence molecular pathways altered in chronic liver diseases and propose a hypothetical model about senescence and reactive oxidative stress participation as determinant factors on the appearance and progression of liver cancer, the last step in chronic liver diseases.