Mac the knife? Macrophages- the double-edged sword of hepatic fibrosis.
Progression of hepatic fibrosis requires sustained inflammation leading to activation of stellate cells into a fibrogenic and proliferative cell type, whereas regression is associated with stellate cell apoptosis. The contribution of hepatic macrophages to these events has been largely overlooked. However, a study in this issue of the JCI demonstrates that macrophages play pivotal but divergent roles, favoring ECM accumulation during ongoing injury but enhancing matrix degradation during recovery. These findings underscore the potential importance of hepatic macrophages in regulating both stellate cell biology and ECM degradation during regression of hepatic fibrosis.
Friedman
Scott L
SL
Division of Liver Diseases, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York 10029, USA. Scott.Friedman@mssm.edu
D000818:Animals; D039481:CD11b Antigen / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D008264:Macrophages / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D010641:Phenotype
D039481:CD11b Antigen