ABSTRACT
Liver failure is a severe clinical syndrome in which the organ’s metabolic functions (detoxifi cation, biotransformation, excretion and synthesis) are severely impaired (Bhatia et al. 2006). The loss of liver function may result from an overload of hepatotoxic substances that progressively saturate natural detoxifi cation pathways, ending with the accumulation of other toxins and the production of cytokines. Moreover, toxin accumulation may further lead to hepatocellular apoptosis and necrosis.
