Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Med.
Sec. Hepatobiliary Diseases
Volume 11 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1454980
This article is part of the Research Topic Immunological Aspects of Fibrosis Pathogenesis: Novel Mechanisms and Therapeutic Strategies View all 3 articles

Signaling pathways that activate hepatic stellate cells during liver fibrosis

Provisionally accepted
Youtian Zhang Youtian Zhang 1,2,3*Long Ren Long Ren 1,2,3*Yinting Tian Yinting Tian 1,2,3*Guo Xiaohu Guo Xiaohu 1,2,3Fengxian Wei Fengxian Wei 1,2,3*Yawu Zhang Yawu Zhang 1,2,3*
  • 1 Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
  • 2 Lanzhou University Second Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu Province, China
  • 3 Lanzhou University Medical College, Lanzhou, Gansu, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Liver fibrosis is a complex process driven by various factors and is a key feature of chronic liver diseases. Its essence is liver tissue remodeling caused by excessive accumulation of collagen and other extracellular matrix. Activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which are responsible for collagen production, plays a crucial role in promoting the progression of liver fibrosis. Abnormal expression of signaling pathways, such as the TGF-β/Smads pathway, contributes to HSCs activation. Recent studies have shed light on these pathways, providing valuable insights into the development of liver fibrosis. Here, we will review six signaling pathways such as TGF-β/Smads that have been studied more in recent years.

    Keywords: liver fibrosis, HSCs, activation, Signaling Pathways, review

    Received: 26 Jun 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zhang, Ren, Tian, Xiaohu, Wei and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Youtian Zhang, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
    Long Ren, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
    Yinting Tian, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
    Fengxian Wei, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
    Yawu Zhang, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.