Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA.
Annu Rev Pathol. 2011;6:425-56. doi: 10.1146/annurev-pathol-011110-130246.
Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide due to chronic viral hepatitis and, more recently, from fatty liver disease associated with obesity. Hepatic stellate cell activation represents a critical event in fibrosis because these cells become the primary source of extracellular matrix in liver upon injury. Use of cell-culture and animal models has expanded our understanding of the mechanisms underlying stellate cell activation and has shed new light on genetic regulation, the contribution of immune signaling, and the potential reversibility of the disease. As pathways of fibrogenesis are increasingly clarified, the key challenge will be translating new advances into the development of antifibrotic therapies for patients with chronic liver disease.
肝纤维化是全球范围内导致发病率和死亡率的主要原因，这与慢性病毒性肝炎有关，最近还与肥胖相关的脂肪肝疾病有关。肝星状细胞的激活是纤维化的一个关键事件，因为这些细胞在损伤后成为肝脏细胞外基质的主要来源。细胞培养和动物模型的使用扩展了我们对星状细胞激活机制的理解，并为遗传调控、免疫信号的贡献以及疾病的潜在可逆性提供了新的认识。随着纤维化形成途径的日益阐明，关键的挑战将是将新的进展转化为慢性肝病患者抗纤维化治疗的发展。
