Table I            Potential antifibrotic therapies

• Removal of causative agent

Antiviral therapy, venesection, copper chelation, alcohol abstinence, anti-inflammatory therapy, biliary decompression

• Agents to reduce hepatic inflammation

Corticosteroids

Colchicine

Tranilast, captopril

Malotilate

IL-1 receptor antagonists / soluble TNF-a receptors / recombinant IL-10

• Agents to inhibit hepatic stellate cell activation

Antioxidants (Vitamin E, Silymarin, s-adenosyl-L-methionine(SAMe))

g-interferon

Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) – recombinant or gene therapy

Phosphatidylcholine

Synthetic peroxisome proliferator activated nuclear receptor (PPAR) ligands

Herbal compounds

• Agents to neutralize perpetuation responses of stellate cells

Small molecule inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinases (PDGF, FGF, TGF-a)

TGF-b antagonists

Endothelin receptor antagonists (eg. Bosentan)

ACE inhibitors

• Agents to stimulate hepatic stellate cell apoptosis

Gliotoxin

• Agents to modulate collagen synthesis and degradation

TGF-b antagonists

Metalloproteinases

Halofuginone

• Hepatic stellate cell-specific targeting

(See text)