Inhibitory Effect of Antisense Oligonucleotide Targeting TIMP-2 on Immune-Induced Liver Fibrosis

Introduction We previously reported that both experimental and human studies have shown the importance of TIMP-1 and TIMP-2 in the development of liver fibrosis, a disease mostly caused by HBV and HCV infection in China. Inhibiting the expression of TIMP-1 by an antisense oligonucleotide (ASON) can prevent liver fibrosis through decreasing the deposition of collagen I and III. Whether blocking the expression of TIMP-2 has the same effect on liver fibrosis is not clear.