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The pathogenesis of hepatic fibrosis in chronic human
hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is not well understood; however, an association between
inflammatory activity and fibrogenesis is likely. HCV infection initiates an immediate
inflammatory response in the liver. Immune-mediated liver disease is thought to be
initiated by the HCV specific liverinfiltrating T-cells and amplified by
antigen-nonspecific cells. Destruction of infected hepatocytes occurs by HCVspecific CTL
clones via Fas ligands, TNFalpha and/or perforin mechanisms. Of three main intrahepatic
lymphocyte subsets, neither CD3+CD56+ natural T (NT) lymphocytes nor CD3-CD56+ natural
killer (NK) lymphocyte populations correlate with any biochemical, viral or histological
parameters of fibrosis. A highly significant linear correlation, however, exists between
fibrosis activity (by Knodell score) and intrahepatic CD3+CD56- T-lymphocytes [4]. There
has been great progress made in our understanding of the cellular mechanisms of hepatic
fibrosis. The recognition that the hepatic stellate cell (HSC) formerly know as lipocyte,
Ito, or fat-storing cell, played a central role in the fibrotic response was key to our
understanding. |