[Research progress on the mechanistic role and constituents of hepatic macrophages during the occurrence and development of hepatic fibrosis]

Macrophages are the key cells in the process of hepatic fibrosis. Therefore, they promote the progression and regression of liver fibrosis by participating in all stages. The treatment of liver fibrosis is significantly identified by the main subtypes of intrahepatic macrophages. This article summarizes the types and functions of macrophages according to the inflammatory phenotype, origin, and surface markers and their effect on fibrosis; introduces the new subtypes and mode of action in the occurrence and development of hepatic fibrosis, as revealed by the single-cell sequencing technique; and analyzes the limitations of traditional antifibrotic therapy and the advantages of macrophage-targeting therapeutics, which could indicate the new direction for the study of new macrophage subtypes in hepatic fibrosis.