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Background  Liver fibrosis (LF) is a common pathological process characterized by the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) and accumulation of extracellular matrix. Severe LF causes cirrhosis and even liver failure, a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Transplantation of human placental mesenchymal stem cells (hPMSCs) has been considered as an alternative therapy. However, the underlying mechanisms and the appropriate time window for hPMSC transplantation are not well understood.    Methods  We established mouse models of CCl 4 -injured LF and administered hPMSCs at different stages of LF once a week for 2 weeks. The therapeutic effect of hPMSCs on LF was investigated, according to histopathological and blood biochemical analyses. In vitro, the effect of hPMSCs and the secretomes of hPMSCs on the inhibition of activated HSCs was assessed. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis, real-time PCR array, and western blot were performed to explore possible signaling pathways involved in treatment of LF with hPMSCs.    Results  hPMSC treatment notably alleviates experimental hepatic fibrosis, restores liver function, and inhibits inflammation. Furthermore, the therapeutic effect of hPMSCs against mild-to-moderate LF was significantly greater than against severe LF. In vitro, we observed that the hPMSCs as well as the secretomes of hPMSCs were able to decrease the activation of HSCs. Mechanistic dissection studies showed that hPMSC treatment downregulated the expression of fibrosis-related genes, and this was accompanied by the upregulation of Caveolin-1 (Cav1) ( p  < 0.001). This suggested that the amelioration of LF occurred partly due to the restoration of Cav1 expression in activated HSCs. Upregulation of  Cav1  can inhibit the TGF-/Smad signaling pathway, mainly by reducing Smad2 phosphorylation, resulting in the inhibition of activated HSCs, whereas this effect could be abated if  Cav1  was silenced in advance by siRNAs.    Conclusions  Our findings suggest that hPMSCs could provide multifaceted therapeutic benefits for the treatment of LF, and the TGF-/ Cav1  pathway might act as a therapeutic target for hPMSCs in the treatment of LF.    Supplementary Information  The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02358-x.

Human placental mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate liver fibrosis in mice by upregulation of Caveolin1 in hepatic stellate cells