Chronic liver diseases comprises a broad spectrum of burdensome diseases
that still lack effective pharmacological therapies. Our research group
focuses on Fibrosis which is a major precursor of liver cirrhosis.
Fibrosis consists in a progressive disturbance of liver sinusoidal
architecture characterised by connective tissue deposition as a
reparative response to tissue injury. Multifactorial events and several
types of cells, participate in fibrosis initiation and progression and
the process still needs to be completely understood. The development of
experimental models of liver fibrosis alongside the identification of
critical factors progressing fibrosis to cirrhosis will facilitate the
development of more effective therapeutic approaches for such condition.
This review provides an overlook of the main process leading to hepatic
fibrosis and therapeutic approaches that have emerged from a deep
knowledge of the molecular regulation of fibrogenesis in the liver.