Liver fibrosis and its affecting factors

The liver, as the largest organ of the body, plays a vital role in metabolism, detoxification, maintenance of homeostasis, food synthesis and storage, and defense against invading macromolecules. Liver diseases can be caused by exogenous factors, such as alcohol consumption, drug toxicity, induction of toxins and infections, or endogenous factors, such as metabolic syndromes, autoimmune and genetic diseases. By applying damages, the liver enters the first stage of the disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which has problems in lysis and breakdown of fat, which, if accompanied by inflammation, leads to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). If the disease process continues and there is no treatment, (persistent and chronic damage) the liver enters a more advanced stage of the disease, i.e., fibrosis. The amount of extracellular matrix accumulation and type I, III, and IV collagen production increases up to ten times during fibrosis, and over time, it leads to cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and death due to liver dysfunction. Several cells and inflammatory pathways are involved in the development of liver fibrosis Probable and pre-clinical treatment methods have been reported for the treatment of liver fibrosis, but definitive methods for the treatment and reversibility of the disease in humans have not yet been proven.