Figure 7.

Hypothetical model for implication of aromatase-driven estrogen formation in both liver tissue injury and repair and cancer development: (A) In physiological condition, the proposed mechanism is activated in response to liver tissue injury through aromatase-driven estrogen formation, ultimately leading to growth/differentiation of stem/progenitor cells, repair of tissue damage, preservation of tissue homeostasis, and the return of the whole machinery to the initial state; (B) However, whether the occurrence of genetic/epigenetic alteration results in an impairment of stem/progenitor cell terminal differentiation, tissue damage cannot be repaired, the machinery remains persistently activated, potentially leading to the onset of either benign or malignant liver lesions in consequence of additional genetic/epigenetic changes reproduced with permission from [54].