ADAMTS1 and Hepatic fibrosis: The functional role of ADAMTS1 in hepatic fibrosis was attributed to interacting with latent TGF-β to induce cleavage and activation of TGF-β in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) [35], because activated TGF-β is the main cytokine that triggers differentiation of HSCs to matrix-producing myofibroblasts [36].