Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Gastrointest Surg. Mar 27, 2026; 18(3): 114915
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.114915
Published online Mar 27, 2026. doi: 10.4240/wjgs.v18.i3.114915
Liver transplant and autoimmune liver diseases: An up-to-date review
João P C Freire, Caio F Lopes, Pedro H M Lima, Lucas D Feliciano, Fabrício F de Melo, Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde, Universidade Federal da Bahia, Vitória da Conquista 45029-094, Bahia, Brazil
Author contributions: Freire JPC contributed to the conceptualization of the manuscript; Freire JPC, Lopes CF, Lima PHM, and Feliciano LD contributed to the investigation and wrote the original draft; Lopes CF and Lima PHM developed the tables and figures; Freire JPC and de Melo FF were responsible for manuscript editing and review; de Melo FF supervised the writing of the original draft; and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the CNPq Research Productivity Fellow, No. 309110/2025-4.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Fabrício F de Melo, PhD, Researcher, Professor, Instituto Multidiscip
Received: October 1, 2025
Revised: November 26, 2025
Accepted: January 12, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 177 Days and 12.5 Hours
Revised: November 26, 2025
Accepted: January 12, 2026
Published online: March 27, 2026
Processing time: 177 Days and 12.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Autoimmune liver diseases, including autoimmune hepatitis, primary biliary cholangitis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis, are chronic immune-mediated disorders that may progress to cirrhosis, liver failure and death. Although liver transplantation mostly ensures favorable survival rates, recurrence and complications remain significant challenges. Therefore, the understanding of immune mechanisms, the gut-liver axis, and novel targeted therapies offer new perspectives to improve long-term outcomes and optimize patient management.