The liver fibrosis niche: Novel insights into the interplay between fibrosis-composing mesenchymal cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix.

The liver fibrosis niche: Novel insights into the interplay between fibrosis-composing mesenchymal cells, immune cells, endothelial cells, and extracellular matrix. Food Chem Toxicol. 2020 Jul 05;:111556 Authors: Matsuda M, Seki E Abstract Liver fibrosis is a hepatic wound-healing response caused by chronic liver diseases that include viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, and cholestatic liver disease. Liver fibrosis eventually progresses to cirrhosis that is histologically characterized by an abnormal liver architecture that includes distortion of liver parenchyma, formation of regenerative nodules, and a massive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM). Despite intensive investigations into the underlying mechanisms of liver fibrosis, developments of anti-fibrotic therapies for liver fibrosis are still unsatisfactory. Recent novel experimental approaches, such as single-cell RNA sequencing and proteomics, have revealed the heterogeneity of ECM-producing cells (mesenchymal cells) and ECM-regulating cells (immune cells and endothelial cells). These approaches have accelerated the identification of fibrosis-specific subpopulations among these cell types. The ECM also consists of heterogenous components. Their production, degradation, deposition, and remodeling are dynamically regulated in liver fibrosis, further affecting the functions of cells responsible for fibrosis. These cellular and ECM eleme...
Source: Food and Chemical Toxicology - Category: Food Science Authors: Tags: Food Chem Toxicol Source Type: research