Figure 7.

Proposed schematic model showing complex microbiota plays a hepatoprotective role during liver injury. In the presence of a more complex microbiota community, fibrosis is attenuated as observed by less ECM deposition, accumulation of macrophages, neutrophil infiltration, and disruption of intestinal epithelial tight junctions in conventional mice (SPF) as compared to gnotobiotic mice (ASF). These findings suggest a “hepatoprotective role of intestinal microbiota” because it is also evidenced by Mazagova et al. (23) that in the absence of microbiota, GF mice showed more sever fibrosis.