Liver fibrosis: Clinical assessment, pathogenesis, and anti-fibrotic therapy

Abstract

Liver fibrosis represents a prevalent pathological change that occurs during the progression of chronic liver disease, which is characterized by excessive reparative responses following hepatic tissue injury. Advances in diagnostic and imaging technologies have facilitated a deeper understanding of liver function and metabolic changes, which are crucial for early and accurate diagnosis of liver fibrosis. Furthermore, elucidating the signaling pathways involved in liver fibrogenesis provides valuable insights into its pathogenesis and progression, guiding clinical management and treatment strategies for patients with liver fibrosis. This review critically evaluates various clinical and experimental therapies aimed at mitigating or reversing liver fibrosis. Specific targeted nanocarrier drug delivery systems and traditional herbal medicines hold promise in enhancing anti-fibrotic efficacy and inhibiting disease progression.

Keywords

Liver fibrosis / Hepatic stellate cells / Non-invasive assessment / Anti-fibrotic therapy / Traditional Chinese medicine

Funding

This study is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32200936, 82200070, 82304589), the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (2021A1515110561, 2021A1515111049), the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment (2021B1212040004), and the Xiangshan Talent Scientific Research Start-up Fund of Zhuhai People’s Hospital (2021XSYC-07).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare they have no competing interests.

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