MAPK8 and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: In NAFLD patients, phosphorylation of IκB and NF-κB results in their translocation to the nucleus in hepatocytes, resulting in the expression of inflammatory genes, while phosphorylation of JNK (p-JNK) induces an increase in the BAX/Bcl-2 ratio, CD95, FADD, C-CAS8, and C-CAS3 expression (11, 12).