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Coffee, adenosine, and the liver

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Abstract

A variety of observational studies have demonstrated that coffee, likely acting through caffeine, improves health outcomes in patients with chronic liver disease. The primary pharmacologic role of caffeine is to act as an inhibitor of adenosine receptors. Because key liver cells express adenosine receptors linked to liver injury, regeneration, and fibrosis, it is plausible that the biological effects of coffee are explained by effects of caffeine on adenosinergic signaling in the liver. This review is designed to help the reader make sense of that hypothesis, highlighting key observations in the literature that support or dispute it.

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  1. Yale University School of Medicine and VA Connecticut Healthcare System, 950 Campbell Ave, West Haven, CT, 06515, USA

    Jonathan A. Dranoff

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Dranoff, J.A. Coffee, adenosine, and the liver. Purinergic Signalling 20, 21–28 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-023-09968-5

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