Sistema FMUSP-HC: Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (FMUSP) e Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSPYANGUAS, Sara CrespoCOGLIATI, BrunoWILLEBRORDS, JoostMAES, MichaelCOLLE, IsabelleBOSSCHE, Bert van denOLIVEIRA, Claudia Pinto Marques Souza deANDRAUS, WellingtonALVES, Venancio AvanciniLECLERCQ, IsabelleVINKEN, Mathieu2016-07-182016-07-182016ARCHIVES OF TOXICOLOGY, v.90, n.5, p.1025-1048, 20160340-5761https://observatorio.fm.usp.br/handle/OPI/14248Hepatic fibrosis is a wound healing response to insults and as such affects the entire world population. In industrialized countries, the main causes of liver fibrosis include alcohol abuse, chronic hepatitis virus infection and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. A central event in liver fibrosis is the activation of hepatic stellate cells, which is triggered by a plethora of signaling pathways. Liver fibrosis can progress into more severe stages, known as cirrhosis, when liver acini are substituted by nodules, and further to hepatocellular carcinoma. Considerable efforts are currently devoted to liver fibrosis research, not only with the goal of further elucidating the molecular mechanisms that drive this disease, but equally in view of establishing effective diagnostic and therapeutic strategies. The present paper provides a state-of-the-art overview of in vivo and in vitro models used in the field of experimental liver fibrosis research.engrestrictedAccessLiver fibrosisAnimal modelsIn vitro modelsHepatic stellate cellshepatic stellate cellsgrowth-factor-betabile-duct ligationhigh-fat dietfibrillary acidic proteinsmooth-muscle-actincirrhotic rat-liverin-vitrogene-expressionnonalcoholic steatohepatitisarticleCopyright SPRINGER HEIDELBERG10.1007/s00204-015-1543-4Toxicology1432-0738