Wells Rebecca G
Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
Curr Pathobiol Rep. 2014 Dec 1;2(4):185-190. doi: 10.1007/s40139-014-0054-y.
Portal fibroblasts are a minor population in the normal liver, found in the periportal mesenchyme surrounding the bile ducts. While many researchers have hypothesized that they are an important myofibroblast precursor population in biliary fibrosis, responsible for matrix deposition in early fibrosis and for recruiting hepatic stellate cells, the role of portal fibroblasts relative to hepatic stellate cells is controversial. Several papers published in the past year have addressed this point and have identified other potential roles for portal fibroblasts in biliary fibrosis. The goal of this review is to critically assess these recent studies, to highlight gaps in our knowledge of portal fibroblasts, and to suggest directions for future research.
门周成纤维细胞是正常肝脏中的少数细胞群体，存在于胆管周围的门周间质中。虽然许多研究人员推测它们是胆管纤维化中重要的肌成纤维细胞前体细胞群体，负责早期纤维化中的基质沉积以及募集肝星状细胞，但门周成纤维细胞相对于肝星状细胞的作用仍存在争议。过去一年发表的几篇论文探讨了这一点，并确定了门周成纤维细胞在胆管纤维化中的其他潜在作用。本综述的目的是批判性地评估这些最新研究，突出我们在门周成纤维细胞知识方面的空白，并为未来研究提出方向。
