Leptin‐mediated neovascularization is a prerequisite for progression of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis in rats
Mitsuteru Kitade, Hitoshi Yoshiji, Hideyuki Kojima, Yasuhide Ikenaka, Ryuichi Noguchi, Kosuke Kaji, Junichi Yoshii, Koji Yanase, Tadashi Namisaki, Kiyoshi Asada, Masaharu Yamazaki, Tatsuhiro Tsujimoto, Takemi Akahane, Masahito Uemura, Hiroshi Fukui – 27 September 2006 – Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) may cause fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); however, the exact mechanism of disease progression is not fully understood. Angiogenesis has been shown to play an important role in the progression of chronic liver disease.