Integrins as a drug target in liver fibrosis

As the worldwide prevalence of chronic liver diseases is high and continuing to increase, there is an urgent need for treatment to prevent cirrhosis-related morbidity and mortality. Integrins are heterodimeric cell-surface proteins that are promising targets for therapeutic intervention. alpha v integrins are central in the development of fibrosis as they activate latent TGF beta, a known profibrogenic cytokine. The alpha v subunit can form heterodimers with beta 1, beta 3, beta 5, beta 6 or beta 8 subunits and one or more of these integrins are central to the development of liver fibrosis, however, their relative importance is not understood. This review summarises the current knowledge of alpha v integrins and their respective beta subunits in different organs, with a focus on liver fibrosis and the emerging preclinical and clinical data with regards to alpha v integrin inhibitors.