Synergistic effect of pro-inflammatory TNFα and IL-17 in periostin mediated collagen deposition: potential role in liver fibrosis.

Background: The pro-inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-17, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. In this study, we investigated the role of TNFα and IL-17 toward induction of profibrotic factor, periostin.

Methods: HepG2 cells were cultured and treated with inflammatory cytokines, TNFα and IL-17.