Macrophage-specific autotaxin deficiency promotes hepatic steatosis and inflammation in diet-induced MASLD

This study reveals a protective role of macrophage-derived autotaxin (ATX) in liver homeostasis, demonstrating that its cell-specific deletion exacerbates hepatic steatosis, inflammation, and injury in a diet-induced metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease model. Mechanistically, loss of ATX enhances proinflammatory cytokine production in Kupffer cells and hepatocytes, while upregulating lipogenic transcription factors, such as Srebf1 and Chrebp. These findings highlight macrophage-derived ATX as a critical regulator of hepatic lipid metabolism by restraining inflammation-driven lipogenesis.