Publication Name	World Journal of Gastroenterology
Manuscript ID	116924
Country	China

Category	Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Manuscript Type	Editorial
Article Title	Echoes of ancient wisdom and synergistic strategies invigorate the fight against liver fibrosis
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Bing Wang, Yuan Li, Ying-Yu Wang, Wei-Qi Liu, Xiang Xu and Ming-Ming Liu
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number Beijing Municipal Natural Science Foundation of China 7252093
Corresponding Author	Ming-Ming Liu, Associate Professor, PhD, Institute of Microcirculation, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, No. 5 Dongdan Third Alley, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100005, China. mingmingliu@imc.pumc.edu.cn
Key Words	Liver fibrosis; Systems pharmacology; Network medicine; Bioactivity-based quality control; Drug synergism
Core Tip	The failure of reductionist magic bullet therapies in liver fibrosis necessitates a shift toward systems pharmacology and network regulation. The Crocus sativus-Calculus Bovis pair validates this approach by simultaneously modulating the p38 MAPK and TGF-β/Smad axes to collapse the fibrogenic network. Clinical success depends on evolving from chemical standardization to bioactivity-linked quality control and adopting precision medicine to stratify patient endotypes.
Citation	Wang B, Li Y, Wang YY, Liu WQ, Xu X, Liu MM. Echoes of ancient wisdom and synergistic strategies invigorate the fight against liver fibrosis. World J Gastroenterol 2026; In press

Received	2025-11-27 00:57
Peer-Review Started	2025-11-27 07:28
First Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-01-15 07:17
Return for Revision	2026-01-15 07:17
Revised	2026-01-23 05:51
Publication Fee Transferred
Second Decision by Editor	2026-02-25 02:38
Second Decision by Editor-in-Chief
Final Decision by Editorial Office Director	2026-02-25 09:42
Articles in Press	2026-02-25 09:42
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1007-9327 (print) and 2219-2840 (online)
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