Autophagy protects from liver injury.

The authors comment on a study by M. Amir et al on the role of autophagy in tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-induced cytotoxicity in the liver. They describe autophagy as a mechanism by which cellular debris are recycled and metabolic intermediates produced for maintaining cellular homeostasis. They note the study findings that autophagy protects the hepatocytes from TNF-dependent cell death. The study also showed that D-galactosamine (GaIN) can inhibit lipopolysaccharide-induced autophagy.