Albanis Efsevia, Safadi Rifaat, Friedman Scott L
Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Box 1123, 1425 Madison Avenue, Room 1170F, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA.
Curr Gastroenterol Rep. 2003 Feb;5(1):48-56. doi: 10.1007/s11894-003-0009-7.
Hepatic fibrosis is the scarring response of the liver to chronic liver injury; when fibrosis progresses to cirrhosis, morbid complications can develop. Available therapies for many chronic liver diseases are ineffective, with liver transplantation as the only option, though the supply of donor organs is inadequate to meet the growing demand. Novel approaches that attack the scarring response are therefore urgently needed. Optimism in this effort is fueled by major insights into the pathogenesis of fibrosis and by accumulating evidence that even cirrhosis is reversible in many patients. Most evolving antifibrotic therapies will be aimed at inhibiting the activated hepatic stellate cell, which is responsible for the fibrotic response to injury. This review describes the ways in which insights into the cellular basis of hepatic fibrosis are leading to realistic strategies for antifibrotic treatment that may revolutionize the management of patients with chronic liver disease.
肝纤维化是肝脏对慢性肝损伤的瘢痕化反应；当纤维化进展为肝硬化时，会出现严重的并发症。许多慢性肝病现有的治疗方法无效，肝移植是唯一的选择，但供体器官的供应不足以满足不断增长的需求。因此，迫切需要能够对抗瘢痕化反应的新方法。对纤维化发病机制的重大认识以及越来越多的证据表明许多患者的肝硬化甚至是可逆的，为这项工作带来了乐观情绪。大多数正在研发的抗纤维化疗法将旨在抑制活化的肝星状细胞，该细胞负责对损伤的纤维化反应。本综述描述了对肝纤维化细胞基础的认识如何导致抗纤维化治疗的切实可行策略，这些策略可能会彻底改变慢性肝病患者的治疗管理。
