Abstract
Main indication of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) progression is hepatic fibrosis. The extent of fibrosis correlates negatively with long-term comorbidity and survival of NASH patients. Clinical screening for hepatic fibrosis extent higher than F2 is a main criterion for high risk NASH patients. Currently on-going phase III clinical trials for potential pharmacotherapeutics recruit NASH patients with F2-3, and whether tested pharmacotherapeutics block hepatic fibrosis is one of main end-points for assessment of clinical efficacy. Therefore, understanding molecular mechanisms and identifying potential targets are critical for intervention of NASH progression.