Clément B, Loréal O, Levavasseur F, Guillouzo A
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité de Recherches Hépatologiques, INSERM U-49, Hôpital Pontchaillou, Rennes, France.
J Hepatol. 1993 Apr;18(1):1-4. doi: 10.1016/s0168-8278(05)80002-9.
Treatment of hepatic fibrosis by simple and inexpensive therapies is a new challenge for the near future. Hepatic fibrosis which may lead to cirrhosis, is indeed associated with most chronic liver diseases and affects millions of people. During the last decade, major breakthroughs have been accomplished in the field of hepatic fibrosis including the discovery of key components of the extracellular matrix, the cellular origin of most matrix proteins, the molecular mechanisms involved in their synthesis and degradation, and the role of cytokines in fibrogenesis. Most of this progress came from the development of new techniques including in vitro model systems which have proven useful for investigating the molecular bases of fibrogenesis. From basic research to clinical application, two major fields are now actively explored: the search for reliable serum markers of fibrogenesis and the discovery of drugs that prevent cirrhosis. A recent approach to treat hepatic fibrosis is to use cytokines, e.g. interferons, that modulate extracellular matrix synthesis.
采用简单且廉价的疗法治疗肝纤维化是近期面临的一项新挑战。肝纤维化可能会导致肝硬化，实际上它与大多数慢性肝病相关，影响着数百万人。在过去十年中，肝纤维化领域取得了重大突破，包括细胞外基质关键成分的发现、大多数基质蛋白的细胞起源、其合成和降解所涉及的分子机制，以及细胞因子在纤维化形成中的作用。这些进展大多来自新技术的发展，包括体外模型系统，这些系统已被证明对研究纤维化形成的分子基础很有用。从基础研究到临床应用，目前正在积极探索两个主要领域：寻找可靠的纤维化形成血清标志物以及发现预防肝硬化的药物。最近一种治疗肝纤维化的方法是使用细胞因子，例如干扰素，来调节细胞外基质的合成。
