Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, 282 Hanzhong Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210029, PR China.
Biomed Pharmacother. 2013 Apr;67(3):246-50. doi: 10.1016/j.biopha.2012.10.002. Epub 2012 Nov 15.
Hepatic fibrosis, characterized by abnormal accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM), is a common pathological process of many chronic liver diseases. A growing number of studies have shown that the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis. Inhibiting the activation of HSCs and accelerating the clearance of activated HSCs may be effective strategies for resolution of hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, understanding the underlying mechanisms of clearance of activated HSCs and the therapeutic implications is an active subject of research. Studies have shown that apoptosis, immune clearance, phenotype reversion and senescence are involved in clearance of activated HSCs. In this review, we will discuss the mechanisms of clearance of activated HSCs and their potential in resolution of hepatic fibrosis.
肝纤维化是一种常见的慢性肝病病理过程，其特征是细胞外基质（ECM）异常积聚。越来越多的研究表明，肝星状细胞（HSCs）的激活在肝纤维化的发病机制中起着重要作用。抑制 HSCs 的激活并加速活化 HSCs 的清除可能是肝纤维化消退的有效策略。因此，了解活化 HSCs 的清除的潜在机制及其治疗意义是一个活跃的研究课题。研究表明，凋亡、免疫清除、表型逆转和衰老都参与了活化 HSCs 的清除。在这篇综述中，我们将讨论活化 HSCs 的清除机制及其在肝纤维化消退中的潜在作用。
