Correspondence to letter to the editor on “Transarterial radioembolization versus tyrosine kinase inhibitor in hepatocellular carcinoma with portal vein thrombosis” Moon Haeng Hur, Yoon Jun Kim Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2025; 31(1): e93. CrossRef
Correspondence to letter to the editor on “Bariatric intervention improves metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis in patients with obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis” Yuri Cho, Dae Won Jun Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2025; 31(1): e103. CrossRef
Background/Aims Cholestatic liver diseases including primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are associated with active hepatic fibrogenesis, which ultimately progresses to cirrhosis. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the main fibrogenic effectors in response to cholangiocyte damage. JCAD regulates cell proliferation and malignant transformation in nonalcoholic steatoheaptitis-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (NASH-HCC). However, its participation in cholestatic fibrosis has not been explored yet.
Methods Serial sections of liver tissue of PBC patients were stained with immunofluorescence. Hepatic fibrosis was induced by bile duct ligation (BDL) in wild-type (WT), global JCAD knockout mice (JCAD-KO) and HSC-specific JCAD knockout mice (HSC-JCAD-KO), and evaluated by histopathology and biochemical tests. In situ-activated HSCs isolated from BDL mice were used to determine effects of JCAD on HSC activation.
Results In consistence with staining of liver sections from PBC patients, immunofluorescent staining revealed that JCAD expression was identified in smooth muscle α-actin (α-SMA)-positive fibroblast-like cells and was significantly up-regulated in WT mice with BDL. JCAD deficiency remarkably ameliorated BDL-induced hepatic injury and fibrosis, as documented by liver hydroxyproline content, when compared to WT mice with BDL. Histopathologically, collagen deposition was dramatically reduced in both JCAD-KO and HSC-JCAD-KO mice compared to WT mice, as visualized by Trichrome staining and semi-quantitative scores. Moreover, JCAD deprivation significantly attenuated in situ HSC activation and reduced expression of fibrotic genes after BDL.
Conclusions JCAD deficiency effectively suppressed hepatic fibrosis induced by BDL in mice, and the underlying mechanisms are largely through suppressed Hippo-YAP signaling activity in HSCs.
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Activated hepatic stellate cells maintain hepatic bile acid homeostasis through paracrine FGF10/FGFR2 signaling Santie Li, Gaozan Tong, Mei Xue, Leyi Shen, Kunxuan Zhu, Jianjun Feng, Junfu Fan, Junjie Lu, Xiaojing Yi, Luhai Wang, Jiaqi Liang, Weitao Cong, Xiaokun Li Journal of Hepatology.2026; 85(2): 314. CrossRef
Integrating network pharmacology and experimental validation to uncover the therapeutic mechanisms of Chaigui decoction in Schistosoma japonicum-induced liver fibrosis Kaiyuan Deng, Xinyao Du, Qiao Liu, Zhi Lan, Fengning Wang, Yulin Cao, Song Xu, Xiaoli Deng, Xiang Wu, Guangjie Li, Yujiao Yang, Xin Wang, Fengyu Yang, Qingyuan Gu, Qingyang Yao, Liangzheng Zou, Wanning Wang, Mijia Yuan, Teng Zhong, Pei Huang, Yonghua Zhou Acta Tropica.2026; 280: 108160. CrossRef
From network prediction to in vivo validation: luteolin attenuates cholestatic liver injury in association with PI3K/Akt/GSK-3β signalling modulation Yuxin Wu, Shiji Gong, Xin Wu, Wei Wang, Dongming Zhang, Jianxin Jia Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Matrix stiffness may drive multi-cellular crosstalk via YAP signaling in biliary atresia liver fibrosis: a mechanistic review Jiwen Cheng Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Notoginsenoside R1 alleviates cholestatic liver fibrosis through modulation of the intestinal FXR-FGF15 axis and bile acid homeostasis Min Yang, Qiaolian Ma, Bairong Yang, Jie Li, Weiyu Chang, Xiuming Cui, Ben Niu, Feng Ge Biochemical Pharmacology.2026; 253: 118312. CrossRef
Transient receptor potential channel 6 knockout ameliorates hepatic fibrosis by inhibiting the activation and proliferation of hepatic stellate cells Xixi Zeng, Yanhong Liao, Weiyi Cheng Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2025; 40(1): 294. CrossRef
Hepatic Stellate Cell TM4SF1 Accelerates Hepatic Fibrosis Progression via Interacting With the Tyrosine Kinase c-Src Shenglu Liu, Peng Tan, Jiatong Chen, Zhiwei Huang, Bingyu Ren, Zhonghao Jiang, Boyuan Gu, Wenhao Yu, Lei Sun, Yingjun Chen, Jian Ruan, Wenguang Fu Cellular and Molecular Gastroenterology and Hepatology.2025; 19(10): 101559. CrossRef
JCAD deficiency delayed liver regenerative repair through the Hippo–YAP signalling pathway Li Zhang, Yong‐Yu Yang, Li Xie, Yuan Zhou, Zhenxing Zhong, Jia Ding, Zhong‐Hua Wang, Yu‐Li Wang, Xiu‐Ping Liu, Fa‐Xing Yu, Jian Wu Clinical and Translational Medicine.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
JCAD, a new potential therapeutic target in cholestatic liver disease Byoung Kuk Jang Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2024; 30(2): 166. CrossRef
Correspondence on Letter regarding “Both liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells express JCAD proteins under various circumstances” Byoung Kuk Jang Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2024; 30(2): 297. CrossRef
Both liver parenchymal and non-parenchymal cells express JCAD protein under various circumstances Li Xie, Li Zhang, Hui Chen, Yong-Yu Yang, Jian Wu Clinical and Molecular Hepatology.2024; 30(2): 279. CrossRef
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