fig6

Figure 6. Hypothesis for interpreting the dynamics of CD4⁺ T-cells in NAFLD. The pathology of NAFLD is affected by various factors, including the immune system. While changes in the liver environment accompanying the development of NAFLD can affect immune cells, changes in the function of immune cells can affect the pathophysiology of NAFLD. From the perspective of systemic metabolic diseases, organ damage associated with NAFLD can affect not only the pathology of NAFLD but also the function of immune cells. As a sum of these effects, we speculate that the balance of the pro- and anti-inflammatory responses of the immune system modifies the pathology of NAFLD. NAFLD: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Th: T helper; Treg: regulatory T-cell; Tfh: T follicular helper.