The aged liver: Beyond cellular senescence

The aging of the population, the increased prevalence of chronic liver diseases in elderly and the need to broaden the list of potential liver donors enjoin us to better understand what is an aged liver. In this review, we provide a brief introduction to cellular senescence, revisit the main morphological and functional modifications of the liver induced by aging, particularly concerning metabolism, immune response and regeneration, and try to elude some of the signalling pathways responsible for these modifications. Finally, we discuss the clinical consequences of aging on chronic liver diseases and the implications of older age for donors and recipients in liver transplantation.