It's all about the spaces between cells: role of extracellular matrix in liver fibrosis.

ABSTRACT: Liver fibrosis is one of the leading complications of a variety of chronic liver disorders, including the nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, liver cirrhosis and liver failure. The progression of liver fibrosis is driven by chronic inflammation, which activates the secretory fibroblasts to the myofibroblast phenotype. These specialized liver cells are called as hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). The excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion creates a large number of complications. Fibrosis is the result of imbalance between the matrix synthesizing and matrix degrading factors. The major ECM proteins include the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs), lysyl oxidases (LOX), lysyl oxidase-like (LOXLs) enzymes, tenascins an

SUBMITTER: Khurana A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8106070 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature