Approaches for treatment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C

Clin Liver Dis. 2003 Feb;7(1):195-210. doi: 10.1016/s1089-3261(02)00076-4.

Abstract

In the past 20 years, the elucidation of the mechanisms responsible for liver fibrogenesis has provided many potential targets for antifibrotic treatments. Difficulty has arisen, however, from the fact that fibrogenesis is part of a general beneficial wound healing process. To be successful, an antifibrotic treatment of HCV might need to be delivered selectively to the hepatic site of fibrogenesis or targeted precisely at an HCV-specific regulatory mechanism. It is likely that in the future, besides viral eradication, another treatment goal in chronic HCV infection will be to reverse existing fibrosis, but considerable work is necessary before making this a reality.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Collagen / metabolism
  • Extracellular Matrix / metabolism
  • Fibrosis / drug therapy
  • Fibrosis / pathology
  • Fibrosis / virology
  • Hepacivirus / growth & development*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / drug therapy*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / pathology*
  • Hepatitis C, Chronic / virology
  • Humans
  • Liver / pathology*
  • Liver / virology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / drug therapy
  • Liver Cirrhosis / pathology
  • Liver Cirrhosis / virology
  • Oxidative Stress
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • Collagen