title: Advances in antifibrotic therapy.
abstract: Sustained progress in defining the molecular pathophysiology of hepatic fibrosis has led to a comprehensive framework for developing antifibrotic therapies. Indeed, the single greatest limitation in bringing new drugs to the clinical setting is a lack of clarity regarding clinical trial and treatment end points, not a lack of promising agents. A range of treatments, including those developed for other indications, as well as those specifically developed for hepatic fibrosis, are nearing or in clinical trials. Most are focused on attacking features of either hepatic injury and/or activated stellate cells and myofibroblasts, which are the primary sources of extracellular matrix (scar) proteins. Thus, features of injury and stellate cell activation provide a useful template for classifying these emerging agents and point to a new class of therapies for patients with fibrosing liver disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of Liver Diseases, Box 1123, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1425 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10029, USA. zahra.ghiassi-nejad@mssm.edu
authors.forename: Zahra
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ghiassi-Nejad
authors.forename: Scott L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Friedman
mesh_terms: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002921:Cicatrix / Q000188:drug therapy; D055166:Hepatic Stellate Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents