M1567 CpG Motifs Induce Proinflammatory Events in Hepatic Stellate Cells and Are Involved in Bile Duct Ligation-Induced Hepatic Fibrosis In Vivo

periphery of the fibrotic bands. Control animals, for each group had normal liver histology and SA-βgal was negative. The expression of p16, p21, and p53, was positive since early stages, with a significant increase of p16 from 15% in-group 1 to 70% in-group 3 that declined after withdrawal of TAA to 16%. No significant changes were noted in p21 and p53 labeling indexes. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that cellular senescence applies to liver cirrhosis and carries a risk of cell cycle checkpoints alterations that may affect liver regeneration at the cirrhotic stage. The selective loss of p16 after withdrawal of TAA may allow clonal expansion of hepatocytes, which may be relevant to understanding hepatocarcinogenesis This work was supported in part by grants UNAM, PAPIIT IN-208107, and CONACyT Salud 2004-CO1-175.