The deposition of increased and abnormal extracellular matrix is the hallmark of liver
fibrosis. Hepatic stellate cells are well known as the major source of the fibrillar collagens
and other components of the liver scar, but are now appreciated to be only one of many
potentially fibrogenic cell populations in the diseased liver. Portal fibroblasts and circulating
mesenchymal cells derived from the bone marrow are also important sources of matrix
proteins in fibrosis. Recent data suggest that hepatocytes and biliary epithelial cells undergo …