The role of inflammation and immunity in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis

Abstract

Hepatic fibrosis represents a ubiquitous response of the liver to acute or chronic injury. Tremendous progress in understanding the pathophysiology of this wound-healing response has led to realistic expectations for treating fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease owing to either viral hepatitis or metabolic or autoimmune diseases, among others. There has been continued clarification of the cellular source of extracellular matrix (ECM) in hepatic fibrosis, major advances in understanding signaling and transcriptional events, and exciting insights into the biology of fibrosis progression and resolution (see refs. 1-4 and references therein for more general reviews). © 2007 Humana Press Inc.