Hepatic fibrosis in mice lacking liver vitamin A stores

Loss of retinyl esters and lipid droplets from hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) is one of the first events in the development of hepatic fibrosis. Since lecithin:retinol acyltransferase‐deficient ( Lrat −/− ) mice lack HSC retinyl esters and lipid droplets, we investigated how this absence influences development of CCl 4 ‐induced hepatic fibrosis. We also induced fibrosis in mice lacking diacylglycerol acyltransferase 1 ( Dgat1 −/− ), an enzyme...