Caffeine caused the reversion of activated hepatic stellate cells in a concentration-dependent manner.

Background: During liver injury, quiescent hepatic stellate cells (qHSCs) are activated by various cytokines and transdifferentiated into myofibroblast-like activated HSCs (aHSCs), which produce collagen, a major source of liver fibrosis. Therefore, the reversion of aHSC is regarded as a therapeutic target for liver fibrosis. Several epidemiological reports have revealed that intake of caffeine decreases the risk of liver fibrosis. In this study, therefore, we investigated the effect of caffeine on the reversion of aHSCs isolated from mice. We used aHSC activated by culturing in DMEM supplemented with 10% FBS for 7 days.