Metabolic homeostasis requires dynamic catabolic and anabolic processes. Autophagy, an intracellular lysosomal degradative pathway, can rewire cellular metabolism linking catabolic to anabolic processes and thus sustain homeostasis. This is especially relevant in the liver, a key metabolic organ that governs body energy metabolism. Autophagy's role in hepatic energy regulation has just begun to emerge and autophagy seems to have a much broader impact than what has been appreciated in the field. Though classically known for selective or bulk degradation of cellular components or energy-dense macromolecules, emerging evidence indicates autophagy selectively regulates various signaling proteins to directly impact the expression levels of metabolic enzymes or their upstream regulators. Hence, we review three specific mechanisms by which autophagy can regulate metabolism: A) nutrient regeneration, B) quality control of organelles, and C) signaling protein regulation. The plasticity of the autophagic function is unraveling a new therapeutic approach. Thus, we will also discuss the potential translation of promising preclinical data on autophagy modulation into therapeutic strategies that can be used in the clinic to treat common metabolic disorders.

代谢稳态需要动态的分解代谢和合成代谢过程。自噬是一种细胞内溶酶体降解途径，可以重新连接细胞代谢，将分解代谢与合成代谢过程联系起来，从而维持体内平衡。这在肝脏中尤为重要，肝脏是控制身体能量代谢的关键代谢器官。自噬在肝脏能量调节中的作用刚刚开始显现，自噬的影响似乎比该领域所认识的要广泛得多。尽管传统上以选择性或​​大量降解细胞成分或能量密集的大分子而闻名，但新出现的证据表明自噬选择性地调节各种信号蛋白以直接影响代谢酶或其上游调节剂的表达水平。因此，我们回顾了自噬调节代谢的三种具体机制：A）营养再生，B）细胞器的质量控制，C）信号蛋白调节。自噬功能的可塑性正在揭示一种新的治疗方法。因此，我们还将讨论将有希望的自噬调节临床前数据转化为可用于临床治疗常见代谢紊乱的治疗策略的潜在转化。