HCV and the hepatic lipid pathway as a potential treatment target

Atherosclerosis has been described as a liver disease of the heart . The liver is the central regulatory organ of lipid pathways but since dyslipidaemias are major contributors to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes rather than liver disease, research in this area has not been a major focus for hepatologists. Virus–host interaction is a continuous co-evolutionary process involving the host immune system and viral escape mechanisms . One of the strategies HCV has adopted to escape immune clearance and establish persistent infection is to make use of hepatic lipid pathways. This review aims to: [•] update the hepatologist on lipid metabolism [•] review the evidence that HCV exploits hepatic lipid pathways to its advantage [•] discuss approaches to targeting host lipid pathways as adjunctive therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]