Effects of hepatic stellate cells in hepatic diseases

Hepatic satellite cell (HSC) is a kind of nonparenchymal cells in the liver, which releases various collagenous fibers and cytoskeletal proteins, playing an important role in the pathophysiological changes of the liver. In normal, HSCs maintain normal tissue architecture via regulating the synthesis and degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. During liver injury, HSCs were activated. Activated HSCs are the main cells that lead to the accumulation of extracellular matrix, which is the main reason of hepatic fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver failure. Therefore, lucubrating the role and mechanism of HSC in the progress of hepatic disease and investiating the HSCrelated therapeutic strategies have practical significances for the prevention and treatment of liver injury and raise of patients′ survival rates in clinical practice.