Targeting Hepatic Stellate Cells for the Prevention and Treatment of Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Strategies and Clinical Translation
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Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) are the major source of myofibroblasts (MFB) in fibrosis and cancer associated fibroblasts (CAF) in both primary and metastatic liver cancer. Over the past few decades, there has been significant progress in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which liver fibrosis and HCC occur and the key roles of HSC in the pathogenesis. HSC targeted approaches via specific surface markers and receptors may enable selective delivery of drugs, oligonucleotides, and therapeutic peptides that exert optimized anti-fibrotic and anti-HCC effects. Recent advances in omics, particularly single-cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics, hold promise for identifying new HSC targets for diagnosing and treating liver fibrosis/cirrhosis and liver cancer.