Two recently published papers have shown that a cell type with morphological features of “vitamin A storing” stellate cells is present in rat and human pancreatic tissue.1 ,2 These observations add to previous reports addressing the same issue in several other extrahepatic organs, including the lung, the intestine, and the kidney.3 ,4

Over the past 10 years, a great deal of scientific information has followed the identification of stellate cells as the main cell type involved in the progression of liver fibrosis following chronic tissue damage.5 Several roles for this cell type in normal and diseased liver have been highlighted. In addition to storage of vitamin A, these include: (1) excessive deposition of extracellular matrix on activation; (2) modulation of sinusoidal tone in normal liver as a result of their contractile features and possible involvement in the progression of portal hypertension; (3) synthesis of soluble factors …