CXC chemokine ligand 4 (Cxcl4) is a platelet-derived mediator of experimental liver fibrosis.

Unlabelled: Liver fibrosis is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Platelets are involved in liver damage, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigate the platelet-derived chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand 4 (CXCL4) as a molecular mediator of fibrotic liver damage.

The chemokine scavenging receptor D6 limits acute toxic liver injury in vivo.

The chemokine decoy receptor D6 is a promiscuous chemokine receptor lacking classical signaling functions. It negatively regulates inflammation by targeting CC chemokines to cellular internalization and degradation. Here we analyze the function of D6 in acute CCl(4)-induced liver damage in constitutive D6(-/-) and wild-type mice.

A functional variation in CHI3L1 is associated with severity of liver fibrosis and YKL-40 serum levels in chronic hepatitis C infection.

Background/aims: YKL-40 is a chitinase-like protein involved in matrix remodelling and a non-invasive fibrosis marker. We assessed whether a functional promoter polymorphism in CHI3L1, encoding YKL-40, is associated with HCV-induced liver fibrosis and influences YKL-40 serum concentrations.

Methods: The CHI3L1 -131G-->C promoter polymorphism was genotyped in two cohorts of HCV infected patients (n=440) by 5'-endonuclease assays.