From Hair to Liver: Emerging Application of Hair Follicle Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation Reverses Liver Cirrhosis by Blocking the TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway to Inhibit Pathological HSC Activation

The study demonstrates that hair follicle mesenchymal stem cell (HF-MSC) transplantation can effectively reverse liver cirrhosis in mice by inhibiting the TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway, which is crucial for pathological hepatic stellate cell (HSC) activation. HF-MSCs were shown to migrate to the injured liver, express hepatocyte-specific markers, and significantly alleviate liver histological damage and improve liver function. The results indicate that HF-MSCs can suppress the activation of HSCs and reduce the levels of TGF-β1 and phosphorylated Smad3, suggesting a potential therapeutic approach for liver cirrhosis.