Mitophagy in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion

Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a significant challenge during liver resection and transplantation. Mitochondrial dysfunction is a cardinal event contributing to I/R injury in livers. In healthy normal livers, the accumulation of aberrant mitochondria and consequent mitochondrial dysfunction are rarely occurring due to mitophagic clearance. However, hepatic I/R impairs mitophagy, leading to widespread mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatocyte death. This chapter highlights how mitophagy is affected before, during, and after ischemia. In addition, mechanistic insights related to mitophagy are provided to explain why suboptimal livers, such as livers from older donors and steatotic livers, are vulnerable to I/R injury.