A new cause of liver fibrosis development has been found

Japanese researchers from Toho University have identified a previously unknown mechanism that contributes to the development of liver fibrosis - a dangerous condition in which the organ becomes dense and scarred. The discovery could form the basis for creating new, more targeted treatment methods. The work is published in the journal iScience.

Liver fibrosis often develops against the background of chronic diseases - such as hepatitis or steatohepatitis associated with metabolic disorders. If left untreated, it can lead to cirrhosis or liver cancer.

The team led by Dr. Takao Seki and Professor Hiroyasu Nakano discovered that so-called hepatic stellate cells play an important role in the fibrosis process. Normally, they store vitamin A and remain in a "dormant" state. However, when the liver is damaged, they become activated, transforming into cells that produce collagen and other substances that form scar tissue.

The study showed: when activated stellate cells are stimulated by the substance FGF18, they begin to produce the protein osteopontin. This protein, in turn, affects neighboring "dormant" cells and activates them. Thus, a chain reaction is triggered that spreads fibrosis from cell to cell.

The peculiarity is that osteopontin only acts on inactive cells - it does not affect already activated ones. Signals are transmitted through a special receptor protein on the cell surface - integrin. This provides a key to understanding how cells "communicate" with each other and coordinate the development of the disease.

"We have discovered a fundamentally new, self-sustaining system of cellular communication in liver fibrosis. This is not just a response to damage, but a complex communication between cells," the study authors noted.

The scientists also believe that the FGF18-osteopontin connection could become a promising target for new drugs. Since FGF18 acts selectively - only on stellate cells - it is possible to develop drugs that will work in a targeted manner, without the side effects characteristic of broader approaches