New strategy for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

Hepatic fibrosis is the common pathological change of chronic liver diseases,and reversal of fibrosis can prevent the progression of most chronic liver diseases.The activation of hepatic stellate cells(HSCs) is considered as the central event of hepatic fibrosis,thus the traditional therapy for hepatic fibrosis was targeting to HSC and have achieved substantial efficacy in animal experiments.However,recent studies have indicated that the activation of HSCs also contributes to the hepatocyte proliferation and live regeneration.Hepatocyte nuclear factors(HNFs) consist of a group of transcription factors,which are critical for the hepatocyte differentiation and functional maintenance.Forced expression of HNFs could reduce the secretion of ECM,promote hepatocyte regeneration and improve liver function.Therefore,upregulation of HNFs presents as an ideal strategy for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis.