Cyp4a12-mediated retinol metabolism in stellate cells is the antihepatic fibrosis mechanism of the Chinese medicine Fuzheng Huayu recipe.

Background: Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), which contain multiple retinol-containing lipid droplets, are important profibrotic cells in liver fibrosis. Under Cyp4a12a/b oxidation, HSC activation was accompanied by the downregulation of genes involved in retinol metabolism, inducing RAE-1 production. By eliminating activated HSCs, NK cells expressing the activating receptor NKG2D are recruited to alleviate fibrosis.