Journal
JOURNAL OF GASTROENTEROLOGY AND HEPATOLOGY
Volume 21, Issue -, Pages S97-S101Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1746.2006.04587.x
Keywords
alcohol; pancreatic fibrosis; pancreatic stellate cells
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are now recognized as the key mediators of pancreatic fibrosis, a characteristic feature of chronic pancreatitis. The role of PSC in alcoholic pancreatic fibrosis has been examined in vivo (using pancreatic tissue from patients with alcohol-induced chronic pancreatitis and from animal models of experimental pancreatitis) and in vitro (using PSC in culture). These studies indicate that PSC are activated early in the course of pancreatic injury and are the predominant source of collagen in the fibrotic pancreas. The factors responsible for mediating PSC activation during chronic alcohol exposure include ethanol, its metabolite acetaldehyde, oxidant stress and cytokines (released during episodes of alcohol-induced pancreatic necroinflammation). Most recently, the intracellular signaling mechanisms regulating ethanol-induced PSC activation have been identified and include the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and protein kinase C (PKC), and the transcription factor activator protein-1 (AP-1).
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available