ISSN: 2161-069X

Journal of Gastrointestinal & Digestive System
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Review Article

Hepatic Stellate Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis: Possible Therapeutic Targets?

Cristin Constantin Vere1,2, Alin Gabriel Ionescu1, Costin Teodor Streba1,2* and Otilia Rogoveanu1
1University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, Romania
2Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of Craiova, Romania
Corresponding Author : Costin Teodor Streba
Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Bvd. 1 Mai nr. 66, Craiova 200638, Romania
E-mail: costinstreba@gmail.com
Received March 29, 2013; Accepted May 03, 2013; Published May 05, 2013
Citation: Vere CC, Ionescu AG, Streba CT, Rogoveanu O (2013) Hepatic Stellate Cells in Hepatocellular Carcinogenesis: Possible Therapeutic Targets? J Gastroint Dig Syst S12:006. doi:10.4172/2161-069X.S12-006
Copyright: © 2013 Vere CC, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Abstract

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in liver fibrosis, following inflammatory processes within the parenchyma. Their activation pathways give way to a cascade of phenomena which are potentially dangerous for the liver metabolism at a cellular level. The changes towards fibrosis pave the way for the evolution of hepatitis into cirrhosis, the most important etiological entity of hepatocellular carcinoma. In this review, we try to cover a few of the basic aspects of the intricate mechanisms that govern the complex activation of HSCs, their involvement in carcinogenesis and how these molecular targets may become valuable in the future therapeutic approaches for primary liver carcinomas.

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