Prospects of anti-fibrotic therapy for liver diseases

ABSTRACT

Research on antifibrotic strategies has blossomed during the last decade of second millennium. Over the past 30 years methods have been developed for isolating the principal cell types of liver. These have made it possible to analyze in detail the injury response of liver quantitatively, which underlies the scarring process known as fibrosis. Potential antifibrotic strategies may be enlisted as follows 1] to remove the cause of injury, 2] to use anti-inflammatory agents, 3] to use immunomodulators, 4] to use direct inhibitors of stellate cell activation, and 5] cell-targeted antifibrotic therapy. Patients with advanced disease, as well as those with reasonable liver function but progressive fibrosis, may be excellent candidate for anti-fibrotic therapy