Pancreatic Stellate Cells (PaSC)

Pancreatic stellate cells (PaSCs or PSCs) are myofibroblast-like cells that can switch between the quiescent and activated phenotypes. They are present in the periacinar space and have long cytoplasmic processes that encircle the base of the acinus. They can also be found in perivascular and periductal regions of the pancreas and serve as key participants in the pathobiology of the major disorders of the exocrine pancreas, including chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. PaSCs are regulated by autocrine and paracrine stimuli and share many features with hepatic stellate cells. 

PaSCs have a key role in the extensive tissue fibrosis that accompanies chronic pancreatitis and leads to destruction of the pancreas and loss of exocrine function. When PaSCs are damaged or activated by cytokines, growth factors, alcohol and its metabolites, PSC changes to the active state, a muscle fiber cell type. In its activation state, they express smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA), secret inflammatory factors, and generate a large number of cells as the matrix, which is involved in the occurrence of pancreatic fibrosis.It is an ideal model for the study of chronic pancreatitis and adenocarcinoma in vitro.