CXCL12 and Hepatic fibrosis: In a mouse model of CCl4-induced liver fibrosis, the CXCL12/CXCR4 pathway is a critical chemotactic axis regulating the migration of MSCs from the bone marrow to the fibrotic liver, and recruited MSCs play different roles, including aggravating liver fibrosis and attenuating liver injury (Chen et al., 2009; Liu Y. et al., 2015).