Halofuginone upregulates the expression of heparanase in thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats.

Advanced hepatic fibrosis is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition, where collagen and proteoglycans are the main constituents of scar tissue. In previous studies, we showed that heparanase, a heparan sulfate-degrading enzyme, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) play an important role during liver development and remodeling. In this communication, we investigated the relationship between heparanase and VEGF in thioacetamide-induced liver fibrosis in rats.