title: Emerging therapeutic targets for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.
abstract: Fibrosis represents a response to chronic injury, aimed at maintaining organ integrity. Hepatic fibrosis is mainly related to chronic viral hepatitis B or C (HBV or HCV), alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and biliary diseases. A deep understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis has enabled the development of 'pathogenetic tailored' therapeutic interventions. However, effective drugs to prevent or revert hepatic fibrosis are still lacking. In this review, we discuss the cellular populations and the molecular pathways involved in liver fibrogenesis as well as the novel approaches currently being tested in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fagone
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Katia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mangano
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pesce
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Teresa Rosanna
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Portale
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Puleo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Electronic address: ferdinic@unict.it.
authors.forename: Ferdinando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Nicoletti
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology