Emerging therapeutic targets for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

Paolo Fagone; Katia Mangano; Antonio Pesce; Teresa Rosanna Portale; Stefano Puleo; Ferdinando Nicoletti

doi:10.1016/j.drudis.2015.10.015

Emerging therapeutic targets for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

Drug Discov Today. 2016 Feb;21(2):369-75. doi: 10.1016/j.drudis.2015.10.015. Epub 2015 Oct 30.

Authors

Paolo Fagone¹, Katia Mangano¹, Antonio Pesce², Teresa Rosanna Portale², Stefano Puleo², Ferdinando Nicoletti³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
² Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Advanced Technologies, G.F. Ingrassia, University of Catania, Catania, Italy.
³ Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. Electronic address: ferdinic@unict.it.

PMID: 26523773
DOI: 10.1016/j.drudis.2015.10.015

Abstract

Fibrosis represents a response to chronic injury, aimed at maintaining organ integrity. Hepatic fibrosis is mainly related to chronic viral hepatitis B or C (HBV or HCV), alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and biliary diseases. A deep understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis has enabled the development of 'pathogenetic tailored' therapeutic interventions. However, effective drugs to prevent or revert hepatic fibrosis are still lacking. In this review, we discuss the cellular populations and the molecular pathways involved in liver fibrogenesis as well as the novel approaches currently being tested in clinical trials.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Animals
Humans
Liver Cirrhosis / drug therapy*
Liver Cirrhosis / metabolism
Liver Cirrhosis / pathology