Publication Name	World Journal of Hepatology
Manuscript ID	120134
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Opinion Review
Article Title	Evaluation of hepatic sonic hedgehog protein expression in the diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Tian-Tian Chen, Hao-Xian Gou and Zhu-Lin Luo
Funding Agency and Grant Number
Corresponding Author	Zhu-Lin Luo, Professor, Department of College of Medicine, Southwest Jiaotong University, No. 111 North Section 1, Second Ring Road, Chengdu 610031, Sichuan Province, China. lzl810130@163.com
Key Words	Sonic hedgehog; Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease; Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis; Ballooned hepatocytes; Liver fibrosis
Core Tip	Sonic hedgehog homolog (SHH) is specifically expressed in ballooned hepatocytes and can be detected by immunohistochemistry. SHH staining may improve the consistency of ballooned hepatocyte interpretation and is associated with the severity of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. However, current evidence primarily comes from single-center retrospective studies. SHH immunohistochemistry is a promising adjunctive diagnostic tool, but multicenter prospective validation is still required before routine clinical application.
Citation	Chen TT, Gou HX, Luo ZL. Evaluation of hepatic sonic hedgehog protein expression in the diagnosis of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis. World J Hepatol 2026; In press

Received	2026-02-26 03:15
Peer-Review Started	2026-02-26 03:17
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-03-20 11:12
Return for Revision	2026-03-20 18:31
Revised	2026-04-12 21:51
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-05-13 02:47
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-05-13 07:16
Articles in Press	2026-05-13 07:16
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-5182 (online)
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