The role of hepatic microenvironment in hepatic fibrosis development

Abstract

Aim

Fibrosis is a common pathological feature of most types of chronic liver injuries. There is no specific treatment for liver fibrosis at present. The liver microenvironment, which fosters the survival and activity of liver cells, plays an important role in maintaining the normal structure and physiological function of the liver. The aim of this review is to deeply understand the role of the liver microenvironment in the dynamic and complicated development of liver fibrosis.

Methods

After searching in Elsevier ScienceDirect, PubMed and Web of Science databases using ‘liver fibrosis’ and ‘microenvironment’ as keywords, studies related to microenvironment in liver fibrosis was compiled and examined.

Results

The homeostasis of the liver microenvironment is disrupted during the development of liver fibrosis, affecting liver cell function, causing various types of cell reactions, and changing the cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, eventually affecting fibrosis formation.

Conclusion

Liver microenvironment may be important for identifying potential therapeutic targets, and restoring microenvironment homeostasis may be an important strategy for promoting the reversal of liver fibrosis.

KEY MESSAGES

• The homeostasis of the liver microenvironment is disrupted in liver fibrosis;

• A pro-fibrotic microenvironment is formed during the development of liver fibrosis;

• Restoring microenvironment homeostasis may be an important strategy for promoting the reversal of liver fibrosis.

Keywords:

• Hepatic fibrosis
• microenvironment
• therapy

Author contributions

YM and TZ conceived and designed the paper, and reviewed and summarized the related literature; YM wrote the first draft of the manuscript; YM, TZ, ZZ and DZ contributed to interpreting data, revising the manuscript, and approved the published version. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by the Cuiying Scientific and Technological Innovation Program of Lanzhou University Second Hospital [No.2020QN-11] and the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu [21JR7RA397].