In vitro activation and reversion of human primary hepatic stellate cells

Liver fibrosis is characterized by the excessive formation and accumulation of matrix proteins as a result of wound healing in the liver. A main event during fibrogenesis is the activation of the liver resident quiescent hepatic stellate cell (qHSC). Recent studies suggest that reversion of the activated HSC (aHSC) phenotype into a quiescent-like phenotype could be a major cellular mechanism underlying fibrosis regression in the liver, thereby offering new therapeutic perspectives for the treatment of liver fibrosis. The goal of the present study is to identify experimental conditions that can revert the activated status of human HSCs and to map the molecular events associated with this phenotype reversion by gene expression profiling

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El Taghdouini A, Najimi M, Sancho-Bru P, Sokal E, van Grunsven LA