The effect of lipid metabolism on biological characteristics of hepatic stellate cell

Hepatic stellate cells(HSCs) are a kind of fat-storing cells, the lipid droplets are rich in the Cytoplasm, in which retinyl ester accounts for 42%, triglyceride occupies 28%, cholesterol (total) occupies 13%, phospholipids occupies 4% respectively. Studies have confirmed that thetransforms of HSC phenotype follows the changing of the cell lipid. After the activation of HSC, with HSC phenotype changing from fat-storing cells into myofibroblast, the lipid droplets decreased or disappeared gradually, which means HSCs are under the differentiating process of removing adipose, meawhile triglyceride, and the main content of lipid droplets, also obviously reduced. It was ever declined that during the process of HSC re-fating, the activated HSC would turn into quiescent state. Therefore this shows HSCs fat metabolism is closely related to the biological activity.