This study provides the first measurement of a liver fibrosis marker in ex vivo cultures that in other settings have been shown to correlate to the extent of liver fibrosis in vivo. Furthermore, we used a PDE inhibitor, that in other settings have been shown to modulate MMP activity [30], to demonstrate that this ex vivo liver fibrosis model in combination with the biochemical marker may provide further insights into ECM remodeling in the liver during pathology. This evidence concerns the gene ALDH7A1 and Hepatic fibrosis.