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. 2012 Jun 6;5(Suppl 1):S17.
doi: 10.1186/1755-1536-5-S1-S17. eCollection 2012.

Origin of myofibroblasts in liver fibrosis

David A Brenner  1 , Tatiana Kisseleva  1 , David Scholten  1 , Yong Han Paik  1 , Keiko Iwaisako  1 , Sayaka Inokuchi  1 , Bernd Schnabl  1 , Ekihiro Seki  1 , Samuele De Minicis  1 , Christoph Oesterreicher  1 , Kojiro Taura  1
Affiliations

Origin of myofibroblasts in liver fibrosis

David A Brenner et al. Fibrogenesis Tissue Repair. .

Abstract

Most chronic liver diseases of all etiologies result in progressive liver fibrosis. Myofibroblasts produce the extracellular matrix, including type I collagen, which constitutes the fibrous scar in liver fibrosis. Normal liver has little type I collagen and no detectable myofibroblasts, but myofibroblasts appear early in experimental and clinical liver injury. The origin of the myofibroblast in liver fibrosis is still unresolved. The possibilities include activation of endogenous mesenchymal cells including fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells, recruitment from the bone marrow, and transformation of epithelial or endothelial cells to myofibroblasts. In fact, the origin of myofibroblasts may be different for different types of chronic liver diseases, such as cholestatic liver disease or hepatotoxic liver disease. This review will examine our current understanding of the liver myofibroblast.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Origin of myofibroblasts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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