Accumulation of myeloid lineage cells is mapping out liver fibrosis post injury: a targetable lesion using Ketanserin

Abstract

Liver damage: Injury-induced fibrosis A drug that affects serotonin pathway in the liver following systemic injury could help limit damage caused by fibrosis. Severe burn injuries can result in liver fibrosis, the over-production of connective tissues promoted by pro-inflammatory immune cells, including those derived from bone marrow myeloid cells. Chronic fibrosis can cause tissue dysfunction and extensive scarring which can contribute into liver dysfunction. In experiments on mice, Saeid Amini-Nik and Marc Jeschke at the University of Toronto, Canada, and co-workers demonstrated that myeloid cells are enriched in the liver after thermal injury, with a phenotype reminiscent of inflammatory macrophages. Treating the mice with a drug called Ketanserin, which targets serotonin pathway, altered the myeloid-derived immune cells so that they were less likely to cause fibrosis. This suggests a possible therapy for liver fibrosis post-injury.