Stellate Cells and Hepatic Fibrosis

Hepatic fibrosis is a programmed response to parenchymal injury orchestrated primarily by the hepatic stellate cell (HSC), a pleiotropic non-parenchymal cell that resides in the perisinusoidal space of Disse. When the liver is injured, several signaling pathways converge upon the stellate cell, which promote transdifferentiation to an activated myofibroblast, and acquisition of phenotypic changes that culminate in extracellular matrix deposition. If the injury persists, hepatic fibrosis develops and may progress to cirrhosis, liver failure, hepatocellular cancer, and death. With HSCs positioned at the nexus of hepatic fibrosis, a greater appreciation of its complex biology may hasten our progress toward developing effective anti-fibrotic therapies.