PMID: 16536051Mar 16, 2006Paper

GFAP expression in the liver as an early marker of stellate cells activation

Italian Journal of Anatomy and Embryology = Archivio Italiano Di Anatomia Ed Embriologia
Sergio MoriniEugenio Gaudio

Abstract

The activation of hepatic stellate cells is the conversion of quiescent cells into proliferative, contractile, and fibrogenic myofibroblasts. The alpha-smooth muscle actin is a well known marker of hepatic stellate cells activation. On the other hand, the Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein expression is a key step in the astrocytes differentiation and constitutes the hallmark response of astrocytes to injury. Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein expression was reported in quiescent stellate cells in vivo, with an increased expression in the acute response to injury in the rat, and a down-regulation in the chronic one. This study aims to evaluate the morphologic characteristics, distribution and percentage of Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein expressing cells in normal and injured human livers. Human liver biopsies (n=32) were divided in three groups: 1) donors liver; 2) chronic hepatitis C-virus related; 3) post-viral hepatitis cirrhosis. Samples were immunostained with anti- alpha-smooth muscle actin and anti- Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein antibody. Subsequently they were semi-quantitatively evaluated. Liver fibrosis was quantified by morphometric analysis. In chronic hepatitis livers and in the cirrhotic ones, hepatic stellate cells ...Continue Reading

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