What is "hepatotoxicity"

n. toxicity that damages the liver

Alternative names

Toxic liver disease
Toxin induced liver disease
Drug induced liver disease
Drug induced liver damage
Drug induced liver injury
Hepatogenous poisoning

Subordinate terms

Toxic hepatitis
Toxin induced hepatitis
Drug induced hepatitis
Drug-induced hepatic necrosis
Drug induced hepatic fibrosis
Drug induced hepatic granuloma
Toxic liver disease with hepatitis
Toxic liver disease with cholestasis

Hepatotoxicity (from hepatic toxicity) implies chemical-driven liver damage. Drug-induced liver injury is a cause of acute and chronic liver disease.

The liver plays a central role in transforming and clearing chemicals and is susceptible to the toxicity from these agents. Certain medicinal agents, when taken in overdoses and sometimes even when introduced within therapeutic ranges, may injure the organ. Other chemical agents, such as those used in laboratories and industries, natural chemicals (e.g., microcystins) and herbal remedies can also induce hepatotoxicity. Chemicals that cause liver injury are called hepatotoxins.

More than 900 drugs have been implicated in causing liver injury and it is the most common reason for a drug to be withdrawn from the market. Hepatotoxicity and drug-induced liver injury also account for a substantial number of compound failures, highlighting the need for drug screening assays, such as stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells, that are capable of detecting toxicity early in the drug development process. Chemicals often cause subclinical injury to the liver, which manifests only as abnormal liver enzyme tests.

Drug-induced liver injury is responsible for 5% of all hospital admissions and 50% of all acute liver failures.