Mechanobiology of portal hypertension

Liver fibrosis: Our evolving understanding

“…Interestingly, HSCs are also sensitive to viscosity, as shown in a study that introduced a novel hydrogel system to enable the separate evaluation of elastic modulus (stiffness) and loss modulus (viscosity) 79 . More recent studies outlining the stiffness-sensing and mechanotransduction pathways of cells of the liver and the role of mechanics in specific liver diseases illustrate the exciting progress in the area of liver mechanobiology 80–84 . Sebastian Mueller, at the Center for Alcohol Research, University of Heidelberg, Germany, proposed in 2016 that pressure is the cause of cirrhosis, 85 a provocative hypothesis the evaluation of which will be a key area of investigation for several decades to come.…”

“…Reprinted from Olsen et al [76] LIVER FIBROSIS: OUR EVOLVING UNDERSTANDING of liver mechanobiology. [80][81][82][83][84] Sebastian Mueller, at the Center for Alcohol Research, University of Heidelberg, Germany, proposed in 2016 that pressure is the cause of cirrhosis, [85] a provocative hypothesis the evaluation of which will be a key area of investigation for several decades to come. Unfortunately, although the LOX family member LOXl2 was found to be specifically upregulated in pathological situations, including cancer and fibrosis, [86] several clinical trials in humans failed to show evidence of improvement.…”