Emerging therapeutic targets for the treatment of hepatic fibrosis

•Liver fibrosis is an important health problem associated to morbility and mortality.•Extensive data have provided knowledge of the major key cellular and molecular players involved in liver fibrosis.•Effective drugs to prevent or revert hepatic fibrosis are still lacking.•Pathogenetic-tailored approaches are currently tested in clinical trials. Fibrosis represents a response to chronic injury, aimed at maintaining organ integrity. Hepatic fibrosis is mainly related to chronic viral hepatitis B or C (HBV or HCV), alcoholic and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and biliary diseases. A deep understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying liver fibrosis has enabled the development of ‘pathogenetic tailored’ therapeutic interventions. However, effective drugs to prevent or revert hepatic fibrosis are still lacking. In this review, we discuss the cellular populations and the molecular pathways involved in liver fibrogenesis as well as the novel approaches currently being tested in clinical trials.