The possibility that epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) could contribute to hepatic
fibrogenesis in chronic liver diseases as reported in other organs, particularly the kidney,
reinforced the concept that activated hepatic stellate cells were not the only key players in
the hepatic fibrogenic process and that other cell types, either hepatic (ie portal fibroblast) or
extrahepatic (bone marrow-derived cells and circulating fibrocytes) could contribute to this
process. The possibility of the rapid mobilization of a large amount of fibrogenic cells by EMT …