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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 21, 2014; 20(23): 7312-7324
Published online Jun 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i23.7312
Published online Jun 21, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i23.7312
Pathogenesis of liver cirrhosis
Wen-Ce Zhou, Department of General Surgery II, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China
Quan-Bao Zhang, Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University and Key Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Cancer Invasion, Ministry of Education, Shanghai 200032, China
Liang Qiao, Storr Liver Unit, Westmead Millennium Institute, Department of Medicine and Western Clinical School, the University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
Author contributions: Zhou WC and Zhang QB conceived and designed the study; Zhang QB drafted the article; Qiao L revised the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Dr. Wen-Ce Zhou, Department of General Surgery II, the First Hospital of Lanzhou University, 1 Donggang Road, Lanzhou 730000, Gansu Province, China. zhouwc129@163.com
Telephone: +86-931-8625200 Fax: +86-931-8619797
Received: November 1, 2013
Revised: March 16, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: June 21, 2014
Revised: March 16, 2014
Accepted: April 28, 2014
Published online: June 21, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Cirrhosis is the end-stage condition of many types of chronic liver diseases but the underlying mechanisms are far from being clarified. Multiple cellular and molecular factors might be involved in the initiation and progression of cirrhosis. Activation of hepatic stellate cells is a pivotal event in the development of cirrhosis. Animal models are crucial for understanding the pathogenesis and the development of more efficient therapeutic strategies for cirrhosis, with which cirrhosis may become a treatable or even a reversible disease.