title: Reversibility of Liver Fibrosis and Inactivation of Fibrogenic Myofibroblasts.
abstract: Many studies have demonstrated that hepatic fibrosis is reversible. Regression of liver fibrosis is associated with resorption of fibrous scar and disappearance of collagen producing myofibroblasts. The fate of these myofibroblasts has been recently revealed: Some myofibroblasts undergo senescence and apoptose during reversal of fibrosis, while other myofibroblasts revert to a quiescent-like phenotype. Inactivation of myofibroblasts is a newly described phenomenon1which now requires mechanistic investigation. Understanding of the mechanism of HSC inactivation upon cessation of fibrogenic stimuli may identify new approaches to revert already existing aHSCs/myofibroblasts into a quiescent-like state. This review summarizes the research on the inactivation of hepatic myofibroblasts.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kisseleva
keywords: Collagen; HSCs; Hepatic fibrosis; Hepatic stellate cells; Inactivation of myofibroblasts; Pathobiology; Reversibility of liver fibrosis