J Transl Med. 2026 May 25. doi: 10.1186/s12967-026-08312-w. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Liver fibrosis is a dynamic and reversible pathological process underlying chronic liver diseases, characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition and progressive hepatic architectural distortion. It acts as a critical precursor to cirrhosis, hepatic decompensation, and hepatocellular carcinoma, imposing a substantial global disease burden.

MAIN BODY: Accumulating evidence indicates that liver fibrosis is a highly plastic process governed by multicellular crosstalk, immune microenvironment remodeling, epigenetic-metabolic coupling, and mechanotransduction. This review outlines core cellular effectors and their heterogeneity revealed by single-cell omics, and highlights key regulatory layers including circadian rhythm, epigenetic imprinting, metabolic reprogramming, and the gut-liver axis, as well as etiology-specific differences in fibrosis progression, reversibility, and therapeutic response. We also summarize advances in non-invasive diagnosis and clinical translation of anti-fibrotic therapies, and discuss key bottlenecks leading to clinical trial failures.

CONCLUSION: A deeper understanding of cell fate regulation and multicellular ecosystem remodeling will facilitate the development of precise strategies to achieve meaningful fibrosis regression and improve long-term clinical outcomes in chronic liver diseases.

PMID:42185911 | DOI:10.1186/s12967-026-08312-w

Int J Mol Sci. 2026 Feb 25;27(5):2170. doi: 10.3390/ijms27052170.

ABSTRACT

Carbosulfan is a widely used carbamate insecticide, yet its mechanisms of respiratory toxicity remain poorly understood. This study integrated network toxicology, untargeted metabolomics, and molecular docking to systematically investigate the potential mechanisms of carbosulfan-induced respiratory toxicity in male Sprague Dawley rats. Rats were administered a single oral dose of carbosulfan (125 or 250 mg/kg) and assessed after 12 h. Exposure resulted in significant pathological lung damage, characterized by disrupted alveolar architecture, inflammatory cell infiltration, and increased serum levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6, IL-1β, and TNF-α. Network toxicology analysis identified 51 potential targets associated with respiratory toxicity, with core targets including SRC, EGFR, PTGS2, CXCL8, CYP3A4, and NR3C1. Enriched pathways were primarily related to neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, VEGF signaling, and arachidonic acid metabolism. Untargeted metabolomics revealed significant metabolic perturbations in pathways central to antioxidant defense and energy homeostasis, including glutathione metabolism, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and arginine biosynthesis. Molecular docking confirmed stable in silico binding affinities between carbosulfan and the predicted core targets. Integrative analysis suggests that carbosulfan exposure is associated with respiratory damage, potentially through interconnected mechanisms involving oxidative stress, inflammation, and disruption of cell signaling and metabolic enzyme systems. However, given the acute high-dose nature of the model and the interpretative integration of multi-omics data, these findings should be considered hypothesis-generating. This study provides a novel system-level perspective on carbosulfan-induced respiratory toxicity and highlights key pathways and targets for future validation in chronic exposure models.

PMID:41828400 | PMC:PMC12984169 | DOI:10.3390/ijms27052170