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Hepatic stellate cells hold the key to liver fibrosis

Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 11, page 74 (2014)Cite this article

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New research published in Nature Communications has confirmed hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) as key contributors towards liver fibrosis in vivo irrespective of the underlying disease. These cells gave rise to the majority of myofibroblasts present in the liver in mouse models of toxic, cholestatic and fatty liver disease. The findings highlight HSCs as a primary target for the development of novel antifibrotic therapies, an important step forward given the lack of available therapies for liver fibrosis.

Schwabe and colleagues found that the majority (82–96%) of myofibroblasts had come from a HSC lineage, irrespective of the underlying aetiology of liver disease. Genetically labelled HSCs and myofibroblast markers co-localized on fluorescence microscopic images of samples taken from injured livers, with the characteristic septal pattern of fibrosis observed. According to the findings, HSCs were the crucial contributor to fibrogenesis in the liver in many settings: chemical-induced liver injury (induction with either carbon tetrachloride or thioacetamide); cholestatic liver disease (in bile-duct ligation, diet and genetic models); and NASH (methionine–choline-deficient diet model).

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References

  1. Mederacke, I. et al. Fate tracing reveals hepatic stellate cells as dominant contributors to liver fibrosis independent of its aetiology. Nat. Commun. 4, 2823 (2013)

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  1. Katrina Ray
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Ray, K. Hepatic stellate cells hold the key to liver fibrosis. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 11, 74 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2013.244

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