SQSTM1 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: In NAFLD, the turnover of hepatic cytoplasm fractions is substantially impaired due to dysfunctional autophagy/mitophagy, leading to accumulation of damaged mitochondria and elevated oxidative stress, which activates the SQSTM1–KEAP1–NRF2 pathway to protect hepatocytes against oxidative stress.