Hepatic stellate cells targeting – a specific approach to liver cirrhosis

Abstract

Cirrhosis is one of the chronic generalised disease and has a variety of clinical manifestations and complications some of which can be a life threatening. This results in decrease in hepatocellular mass and thus functions. It is 12th leading cause of death in United States. Hepatic stellate cells (HSC) plays a crucial role in the development of liver fibrosis because of their prominent role in extracellular matrix production, regulation of vascular tone, and production of inflammatory mediators such as transforming growth factor-b (TGF-b) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF).Therefore, these cells are major target for the treatment of Cirrhosis. Cell-specific delivery can provide a solution to these problems, but a specific drug carrier for HSC has not been described until now. The mannose 6-phosphate/insulin-like growth factor II (M6P/IGF-II) receptor, which is expressed in particular upon HSC during fibrosis, may serve as a target-receptor for a potential carrier. Carrier molecules are designed for their selective cellular uptake, taking advantage of specific receptors or binding sites present on the surface membrane of the target cell.