TLR9 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: Also, in pathophysiology of NAFLD, the potential induction of TLR9 signaling by mtDNA seems to play a role, since Garcia-Martinez et al. were the first to show a direct link between the release of oxidized mitochondrial DNA from hepatocytes and its recognition by TLR9 in humans and in mouse model (Garcia-Martinez et al., 2016).