Adenoviral-mediated specific targeting of hepatic stellate cells as a selective therapeutic approach in liver fibrosis

Abstract

The activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is a central pathological process in the development of liver fibrosis. Thus, activated HSCs are attractive targets for antifibrotic therapies. We established an adenoviral based gene transfer system for the selective transduction of HSCs by linking a HSC-specific peptide to the virus envelope. The NGFp peptide displays a part of the nerve growth factor (NGF) binding site to p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR), which is in the liver solely expressed on HSCs.