Fibroblast growth factor 7 inhibits hepatic steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis in murine models of on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is the key event of hepatic fibrosis, and we have previously shown that fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) expression is de novo expressed during HSC-activation while its highly specific receptor FGFR2IIIb is exclusively expressed on hepatocytes in the liver. The aim of this study was characterize the function of FGF7 in chronic liver disease with a focus on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Methods and Results: FGF7-deficient (FGF7-ko) and wildtype (wt) control mice were subjected to two different NASH-models, namely feeding a (i) methionine-choline deficient d…