Title: Correlation between SDF-1#, CD34 positive hematopoietic stem cells and CXCR4
expression with liver fibrosis in CCl4 rat model
Version: 1 Date: 27 Jun 2023
Reviewer:  Si-Wen Chen
Reviewer's report:
This study reported the effect of CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis and hematopoietic stem cells (HPSCs) on
the progression/regression of liver fibrosis. The authors believe that the future scoring methods
including these parameters can be used to evaluate the efficiency of anti-fibrotic drugs in the
treatment of hepatic fibrosis and the prognosis of liver illness. The study is interesting, but there
are also several issues that need to be reminded to the author:
1. The format of references is not standardized or unified, please revise one by one. For example:
Reference 6: Nagasawa T, Hirota S, Tachibana K, et al. Defects of B-cell lymphopoiesis and
bone-marrow myelopoiesis in mice lacking the CXC chemokine PBSF/SDF-1. Nature. Aug 15
1996;382(6592):635-8. doi:10.1038/382635a0
Reference 41: Wang S, Gao S, Li Y, Qian X, Luan J, Lv X. Emerging importance of chemokine
receptor CXCR4 and its ligand in liver disease. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology.
2021;9:716842.
2. Some statements are not standardized. Please correct them. For example:
It would be better to change the sentence “Interestingly up to our knowledge our findings were
the first that …....” in Line 526 to “Interestingly up to our knowledge, our findings were the
first that …....”.
It would be better to change the sentence “Bone marrow and liver samples were taken for
evaluation of mRNA SDF-1# by PCR.” in Line 55-56 to “Bone marrow and liver samples were
taken for evaluation of SDF-1# mRNA by PCR.”.
3. In Line 362-363, “The percent of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood and the liver was 8.98%
±0.51 and 3.1%±0.09 respectively (Fig. 4A, B and Table 4).” refers to which group?
4. For the first time, abbreviations should be accompanied by full names, while when it appeared
again, it must be abbreviations. Such as “pseudo lobules (PS)” in Line 773, may not appeared
as “pseudo lobules (PS)” again in Line 774.
5. As we know, SDF-1# binding to CXCR4 receptors on HSCs can induce HSCs activation,
which play key roles in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. In this study, the authors confirmed
that CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis induce HPSCs homing to the liver for repairing the fibrotic liver.
It is interesting, CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis involved in the generation of fibrous septa and the
damage repair of hepatocyte at the same time. If you simultaneously detect the distribution and
proportion of HPSCs and HSCs in fibrotic liver, that will be very meaningful.
6. In the regression of liver fibrosis unit, why the rats in the “Spontaneous reversion group” did
not get IP injections of olive oil?
Title: Correlation between SDF-1#, CD34 positive hematopoietic stem cells and CXCR4
expression with liver fibrosis in CCl4 rat model
Version: 1 Date: 27 Jun 2023
Reviewer:  Si-Wen Chen
Reviewer's report:
This study reported the effect of CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis and hematopoietic stem cells (HPSCs) on
the progression/regression of liver fibrosis. The authors believe that the future scoring methods
including these parameters can be used to evaluate the efficiency of anti-fibrotic drugs in the
treatment of hepatic fibrosis and the prognosis of liver illness. The study is interesting, but there
are also several issues that need to be reminded to the author:
1. The format of references is not standardized or unified, please revise one by one. For example:
Reference 6: Nagasawa T, Hirota S, Tachibana K, et al. Defects of B-cell lymphopoiesis and
bone-marrow myelopoiesis in mice lacking the CXC chemokine PBSF/SDF-1. Nature. Aug 15
1996;382(6592):635-8. doi:10.1038/382635a0
Reference 41: Wang S, Gao S, Li Y, Qian X, Luan J, Lv X. Emerging importance of chemokine
receptor CXCR4 and its ligand in liver disease. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology.
2021;9:716842.
2. Some statements are not standardized. Please correct them. For example:
It would be better to change the sentence “Interestingly up to our knowledge our findings were
the first that …....” in Line 526 to “Interestingly up to our knowledge, our findings were the
first that …....”.
It would be better to change the sentence “Bone marrow and liver samples were taken for
evaluation of mRNA SDF-1# by PCR.” in Line 55-56 to “Bone marrow and liver samples were
taken for evaluation of SDF-1# mRNA by PCR.”.
3. In Line 362-363, “The percent of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood and the liver was 8.98%
±0.51 and 3.1%±0.09 respectively (Fig. 4A, B and Table 4).” refers to which group?
4. For the first time, abbreviations should be accompanied by full names, while when it appeared
again, it must be abbreviations. Such as “pseudo lobules (PS)” in Line 773, may not appeared
as “pseudo lobules (PS)” again in Line 774.
5. As we know, SDF-1# binding to CXCR4 receptors on HSCs can induce HSCs activation,
which play key roles in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. In this study, the authors confirmed
that CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis induce HPSCs homing to the liver for repairing the fibrotic liver.
It is interesting, CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis involved in the generation of fibrous septa and the
damage repair of hepatocyte at the same time. If you simultaneously detect the distribution and
proportion of HPSCs and HSCs in fibrotic liver, that will be very meaningful.
6. In the regression of liver fibrosis unit, why the rats in the “Spontaneous reversion group” did
not get IP injections of olive oil?
Please review this paper.
user
Title: Correlation between SDF-1#, CD34 positive hematopoietic stem cells and CXCR4
expression with liver fibrosis in CCl4 rat model
Version: 1 Date: 27 Jun 2023
Reviewer:  Si-Wen Chen
Reviewer's report:
This study reported the effect of CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis and hematopoietic stem cells (HPSCs) on
the progression/regression of liver fibrosis. The authors believe that the future scoring methods
including these parameters can be used to evaluate the efficiency of anti-fibrotic drugs in the
treatment of hepatic fibrosis and the prognosis of liver illness. The study is interesting, but there
are also several issues that need to be reminded to the author:
1. The format of references is not standardized or unified, please revise one by one. For example:
Reference 6: Nagasawa T, Hirota S, Tachibana K, et al. Defects of B-cell lymphopoiesis and
bone-marrow myelopoiesis in mice lacking the CXC chemokine PBSF/SDF-1. Nature. Aug 15
1996;382(6592):635-8. doi:10.1038/382635a0
Reference 41: Wang S, Gao S, Li Y, Qian X, Luan J, Lv X. Emerging importance of chemokine
receptor CXCR4 and its ligand in liver disease. Frontiers in cell and developmental biology.
2021;9:716842.
2. Some statements are not standardized. Please correct them. For example:
It would be better to change the sentence “Interestingly up to our knowledge our findings were
the first that …....” in Line 526 to “Interestingly up to our knowledge, our findings were the
first that …....”.
It would be better to change the sentence “Bone marrow and liver samples were taken for
evaluation of mRNA SDF-1# by PCR.” in Line 55-56 to “Bone marrow and liver samples were
taken for evaluation of SDF-1# mRNA by PCR.”.
3. In Line 362-363, “The percent of CD34+ cells in the peripheral blood and the liver was 8.98%
±0.51 and 3.1%±0.09 respectively (Fig. 4A, B and Table 4).” refers to which group?
4. For the first time, abbreviations should be accompanied by full names, while when it appeared
again, it must be abbreviations. Such as “pseudo lobules (PS)” in Line 773, may not appeared
as “pseudo lobules (PS)” again in Line 774.
5. As we know, SDF-1# binding to CXCR4 receptors on HSCs can induce HSCs activation,
which play key roles in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. In this study, the authors confirmed
that CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis induce HPSCs homing to the liver for repairing the fibrotic liver.
It is interesting, CXCR4/ SDF-1# axis involved in the generation of fibrous septa and the
damage repair of hepatocyte at the same time. If you simultaneously detect the distribution and
proportion of HPSCs and HSCs in fibrotic liver, that will be very meaningful.
6. In the regression of liver fibrosis unit, why the rats in the “Spontaneous reversion group” did
not get IP injections of olive oil?
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