Hepatic Stellate Cells in the Context of Liver Fibrosis

Abstract

Liver fibrosis is a wound healing response caused by either acute or chronic cellular damage. If left untreated, can lead to cirrhosis that progress to liver failure and can causes death. During hepatic fibrosis, the primary cell-type is the hepatic stellate cell (HSC), previously known as Ito cell, responsible for the progressive collagen synthesis in liver. After liver damage, the HSC changes from a quiescent, vitamin A-storing cell to that of an activated myofibroblast-like cell through intricate transformation or an activation process. After HSC activation, a series of intricate cellular cascades are triggered by the stimulation of signaling events. Various signaling pathways include TGF-beta signaling, signaling that favor proliferation, NF-kB signaling, and MAPK signaling that play role in Hepatic stellate cell activation and proliferation. In the present review, an attempt has been madeto add a drop of knowledge in the sea of already available literature on liver fibrosis in order to elaborate the role of hepatic stellate cellsliver fibrosis, its activation, some of the signaling pathways implicated in its activation. And how to control the activation and proliferation of HSCs for prevention of liver fibrosis, has been briefly inked