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World J Gastroenterol. Mar 7, 2013; 19(9): 1380-1386
Published online Mar 7, 2013. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v19.i9.1380
Hepatic regeneration and the epithelial to mesenchymal transition
Zeng-Fu Xue, Xiu-Min Wu, Ming Liu
Zeng-Fu Xue, Ming Liu, Department of Digestive Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361003, Fujian Province, China
Xiu-Min Wu, Department of Pharmacy, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Xiamen 361003, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Xue ZF designed research; Wu XM analyzed data; Xue ZF, Wu XM and Liu M wrote the paper; Xue ZF and Wu XM contributed equally to this work.
Supported by National Nature Science Foundation of China, Grand No. 81201674; Nature Science Foundation of Fujian Province, Grand No. 2012D051
Correspondence to: Ming Liu, Vice Professor, Department of Digestive Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 10 Shanggu Road, Xiamen 361003, Fujian Province, China. zengfuxue@yahoo.com.cn
Telephone: +86-592-2137708 Fax: +86-592-2137559
Received: December 11, 2012
Revised: January 28, 2013
Accepted: February 5, 2013
Published online: March 7, 2013
Processing time: 91 Days and 4.3 Hours
Abstract

Liver injuries are repaired by fibrosis and regeneration. The core stage is the repair response and fibrosis formation as a scar. The cause of overly-responsive scar formation and diminished regeneration, especially in liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, is still unknown. The epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), a previously discovered mechanism, plays an important role in liver fibrosis and tumor metastasis. Recently, EMT has been found to be associated with liver and bile duct cell fibrosis. Analyzing the established models and chronic disease processes, we propose that EMT liver cells may also lose their regenerative capability due to phenotype changes and that the remaining liver cells may quickly lose their regenerative capability in liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Recognizing these phenotype changes or transition cells may play an important role in targeting therapy to reverse fibrosis not only by disrupting the transition that is necessary to produce the extracellular matrix but also by restoring the regenerative capacity of EMT-like cells.

Keywords: Epithelial to mesenchymal transition; Hepatocyte; Regeneration; Fibrosis; Transforming growth factor-β; Liver; Epithelial to mesenchymal transition -like; Hepatocyte stellate cells