Osteoprotegerin in organ fibrosis: biomarker, actor, and target of therapy?

Osteoprotegerin (OPG) has been recently included in a panel of biomarkers to increase the accuracy of the diagnosis of liver fibrosis, a deadly liver condition due to excessive deposition of extracellular matrix. We explored in the ex vivo model of precision-cut murine and human tissue slices the potential of OPG as blood-based biomarker to determine different stages and progression of fibrosis, and efficacy of antifibrotic treatment, not only in liver, but also in other organs. We found that OPG production as a response towards profibrotic cytokines and towards antifibrotic compounds was better in the lung, liver and kidney than in the intestine. Furthermore, other studies described in the thesis indicates that OPG plays a role in fibrosis development. Our studies showed that the application of precision-cut murine and human tissue slices provides additional insights on the role of OPG on the regulation of the fibrotic process.