Academic Editors: Antonio Barbieri and Francesca Bruzzese
Background: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are of considerable
importance in tumor progression by interacting with the tumor microenvironment.
However, the hidden mechanism explaining how tumor cells interact with CAFs in
the tumor mechanical microenvironment remains largely unknown. Methods:
We highlighted exosomes as the mediator modulating the interaction between liver
cancer cells and CAFs under mechanical conditions. The normal hepatic stellate
cells LX2 were exposed to the medium or exosomes from the HepG2 cells with or
without fluid shear stress subjection, and the CAFs activation markers were
checked. To further explore the potential role of PI3K, which is active in liver
fibrosis, the PI3K inhibitor was used. Results: The specific markers of
CAFs, FAP, and