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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 May 1.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Liver Dis. 2014 Feb 25;18(2):281–291. doi: 10.1016/j.cld.2013.12.001

Figure 2. Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in liver cirrhosis increase intrahepatic vascular resistance.

Figure 2

Quiescent HSCs are vitamin A storage cells and found in normal livers. In response to fibrogenic stimuli, such as transforming growth factor beta, HSCs are activated to become myofibroblasts, which exhibit a contractile and fibrogenic (collagen-producing) phenotype. These activated HSCs, located underneath liver sinusoidal endothelial cells, exert a contractile effect on the hepatic microcirculation, resulting in an increase in intrahepatic resistance.