Unveiling ; Osteopontin Role in Chronic Liver Disease: Insight and Implication

Osteopontin (OPN) is a prominent integrin glycoprotein that plays a considerable role in the progression of chronic hepatic disorders. OPN has more recognized functions, including liver inflammation, fibrosis, and tumours, having once been purely renowned in bone metabolism and cellular adhesion processes. It is convincing that OPN is a good biomarker candidate to assist in the accurate diagnosis of liver diseases, as its increased concentrations coincide with liver damage, fibrosis, and cancer. Chronic liver disease conditions such as alcoholic liver disease and NAFLD depict OPN-driven stellate cells, immune cells, and lipids entering the liver, causing damage and fibrogenesis. In hepatocellular carcinoma, OPN facilitates progression and metastasis through tumour colonization, blood vessel formation, and immune suppression. This supports OPN’s potential as a biomarker to be further investigated in liver damage assessment. This research explains the molecular basis of OPN’s role in liver inflammation and fibrosis, identifies its regulatory pathways, and explores its clinical relevance to liver cancer. The work extends to OPN’s complex functions and utility as a potential therapeutic drug target using in vivo and in vitro models, alongside advanced molecular and histological techniques. Assuming insights into OPN’s regulation and pathological consequences are effective, new therapeutic strategies, including OPN inhibitors or neutralizing antibodies, could be envisaged. These strategies could lead to better control of chronic liver disease and its associated cancers.