Liver fibrosis is a frequent complication related to chronic liver diseases and is associated with chronic hepatocellular stress that results in cell death and activation of multiple signalling pathways. Pathogenic causes include genetic disorders, viruses, alcohol, autoimmune attacks, metabolic disorders, cholestasis, venous obstruction, and parasites. The disease pathomechanisms causing tissue damage induces an inflammatory response involving the local vascular system and the immune system and a systemic mobilization of endocrine and neurological mediators, which leads to the activation of matrix-producing cell populations. For example, the human hepatic stellate cell activation and proliferation causes excessive extracellular matrix growth leading to scar formation and fibrosis.

Liver fibrosis may have distinguishable causes from alcoholic and non-alcoholic liver disease in the Western world. A comprehensive understanding of the transition process from a healthy liver to end-stage disease is needed to enable the prediction of individual disease courses. In advanced fibrosis, the development of portal hypertension and its associated complications are determinants of the patient´s prognosis, but these processes are still incompletely understood. The practice of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) is involved in various fields. To our knowledge, there are some mainstream and accepted therapies of fields including traditional alternative medicine, healing by touch approach, diet and herbs, external energy, and even mental health.

This Special Issue aims to highlight the latest research that will help in the development of CAMs to prevent and treat liver fibrosis. We invite authors to submit original research and review articles regarding relevant CAMs for the molecular/cellular aspects of liver fibrosis.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Hepatic stellate cells in liver fibrosis
• Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
• Gut–liver axis: how do gut bacteria influence the liver?
• Cell death in drug-induced liver injury
• Molecular mechanisms of lipotoxicity in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
• Alcohol-related liver injury
• Phase transition
• Portal hypertension caused by liver disease
• Liver cirrhosis
• Cytokine signalling pathway under liver disease
• Hepatic-derived chemokines
• In vitro and in vivo models to validate promising CAMs to prevent and treat liver fibrosis
• Immunology in hepatic fibrosis
• Fibrosis and reliable CAMs
• NASH/NAFLD