Can Prohibitin 1 be a Safeguard against liver disease?

Prohibitin (PHB) 1 is involved in multiple regulatory pathways in liver disease to protect hepatocytes, and its function is associated with subcellular localization. PHB1 located in the nucleus, cytoplasm and the mitochondrial inner membrane has anti-oxidative stress and anti-inflammatory effects in hepatitis and cirrhosis, which can protect liver cells from damage caused by inflammatory factors and reactive oxygen species (ROS) stimulation. The low expression of PHB1 located in the nucleus of liver cancer cells inhibits the proliferation and metastasis of liver cancer; thus, PHB1 exhibits the function of a tumor suppressor gene. Understanding the mechanisms of PHB1 in liver diseases may be useful for further research on the disease and may provide new ideas for the development of targeted therapeutic drugs in the future. Therefore, this review puts forward an overview of the role of PHB1 and its protective mechanism in liver diseases.