Emerging roles of myeloid derived suppressor cells in hepatic inflammation and fibrosis

Figure 1 Myeloid derived suppressor cells in liver disease. Left: Myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSC) accumulate during infectious, inflammatory or malignant diseases in several compartments of the body, including the liver. MDSC potently suppress immunogenic T cell responses, which is also relevant for liver diseases such as hepatic inflammation, fibrosis or HCC. Right: The induction of monocytic (mMDSC) or granulocytic (gMDSC) MDSC in the liver is promoted by different cell types in the liver via cell-cell-contact dependent mechanisms (e.g., CD44) as well as via various soluble mediators. Details are provided in the main text. GM-CSF: Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor; HCC: Hepatocellular carcinoma; hepa: Hepatocyte; HGF: Hepatocyte growth factor; HSC: Hepatic stellate cell; IL: Interleukin; SAA: Serum amyloid A; TC: T cell.