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. 2012 Apr 3:3:69.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2012.00069. eCollection 2012.

Cytokines and STATs in Liver Fibrosis

Xiaoni Kong  1 , Norio Horiguchi, Masatomo Mori, Bin Gao
Affiliations

Cytokines and STATs in Liver Fibrosis

Xiaoni Kong et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Liver fibrosis, or cirrhosis, is a common end-stage condition of many chronic liver diseases after incomplete recovery from hepatocyte damage. During fibrosis progression, hepatocellular damage and inflammation trigger complex cellular events that result in collagen deposition and the disruption of the normal liver architecture. Hepatic stellate cell activation and transdifferentiation into myofibroblasts are key events in liver fibrogenesis. Research findings from cell culture and animal models have revealed that the Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (Jak-STAT) signaling pathway, which can be activated by many cytokines, growth factors, and hormones, plays a critical role in hepatic fibrogenesis. This review summarizes the biological significance of diverse cytokines and their downstream signaling protein STATs in hepatic fibrogenesis.

Keywords: STATs; interferon; interleukin; stellate cells.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The effects of cytokines and their downstream STATs in different cell types in liver fibrogenesis.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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