Hepatic Macrophage Types Cluster with Disease Etiology in Chronic Liver Disease and Differ Compared to Normal Liver: Implications for Their Biologic and Diagnostic Role.

Macrophages are phenotypically heterogeneous cells that play a vital role in hepatic fibrogenesis. We aimed to compare the macrophage profiles between normal livers and those with various chronic liver diseases in the precirrhotic fibrosis stage. Immunohistochemistry was performed for three macrophage markers (CD163, CD68, and IBA1) on 48 liver biopsies.