Journal
WORLD JOURNAL OF HEPATOLOGY
Volume 6, Issue 4, Pages 207-216Publisher
BAISHIDENG PUBLISHING GROUP INC
DOI: 10.4254/wjh.v6.i4.207
Keywords
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Liver; Fibrosis; Transforming growth factor-beta1; Biological markers
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Funding
- National Research Foundation of Korea - Korean Government [2012R1A1A401015639]
- National Research Foundation of Korea [2012R1A1A4A01015639] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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Liver injuries are repaired by fibrosis and regeneration. The cause of fibrosis and diminished regeneration, especially in liver cirrhosis, is still unknown. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) has been found to be associated with liver fibrosis. The possibility that EMT could contribute to hepatic fibrogenesis reinforced the concept that activated hepatic stellate cells are not the only key players in the hepatic fibrogenic process and that other cell types, either hepatic or bone marrow-derived cells could contribute to this process. Following an initial enthusiasm for the discovery of this novel pathway in fibrogenesis, more recent research has started to cast serious doubts upon the real relevance of this phenomenon in human fibrogenetic disorders. The debate on the authenticity of EMT or on its contribution to the fibrogenic process has become very animated. The overall result is a general confusion on the meaning and on the definition of several key aspects. The aim of this article is to describe how EMT participates to hepatic fibrosis and discuss the evidence of supporting this possibility in order to reach reasonable and useful conclusions. (C) 2014 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
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