Studying Hepatic Stellate Cell Senescence

Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs)Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are the key effector cells in liver fibrosisFibrosis. They are the main producers of excessive amounts of extracellular matrixExtracellular matrix (ECM) components during fibrogenesis and therefore a potential target for the treatment of liver fibrosisFibrosis. Induction of senescenceSenescence in HSCsHepatic stellate cells (HSCs) may be a promising strategy to slow down, stop, or even reverse fibrogenesis. SenescenceSenescence is a complex and heterogeneous process linked to fibrosisFibrosis and cancer, but the exact mechanism and relevant markers can be cell-type dependent. Therefore, many markers of senescenceSenescence have been proposed, and many methods to detect senescenceSenescence have been developed. In this chapter, we review relevant methods and biomarkers to detect cellular senescenceSenescence in hepatic stellate cellsHepatic stellate cells (HSCs).