Topic: Liver Fibrosis in Metabolic Dysfunction: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms, Innovative Diagnostics, and Emerging Therapeutic Approaches

Liver fibrosis is the result of an excessive wound-healing process triggered by chronically acting physical, biochemical, and cellular stimuli in the liver. Initially, liver fibrosis develops silently, but as it progresses, mechanobiological forces increasingly prevail and significant architectural changes lead to liver cirrhosis and may culminate in complications such as clinically significant portal hypertension, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Given the increasing impact of liver fibrosis on clinical workload and health care costs worldwide, this Special Issue focuses specifically on liver fibrosis resulting from metabolic dysfunction.

We invite manuscripts that address any aspects of this condition, including epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. We are particularly interested in histological and non-invasive diagnostic strategies, such as algorithms, biomarkers, imaging techniques, and the emerging role of artificial intelligence in these efforts. Additionally, we welcome submissions on molecular and cellular mechanisms, clinical observations, experimental evidence, and outcomes research related to liver fibrosis and its impact on cardiovascular-renal-metabolic health, all-cause mortality, and the development of hepatic and extrahepatic cancers. We also encourage submissions on all aspects of detection and treatment of liver fibrosis in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease.