ABSTRACTHepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a crucial role in the progression of liver fibrosis, which can beconsidered as the specific therapeutic target of anti-fibrotic treatment. Targeted induction of HSCs tohepatocytes via delivery of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPRassociated protein 9 (dCas9) system holds promise for hepatic fibrosis treatment. Our study hererevealed that CRISPR/dCas9-VP64 system encapsulated in AML12 cell-derived exosomes could efficiently and successfully be delivered into the HSCs. In turn, the CRISPR/dCas9-VP64 system loaded inthe exosomes can be efficiently released into the HSCs. As a proof-of-concept study, gRNA againsthepatocyte nuclear factor 4a (HNF4a) together with the delivery of CRISPR/dCas9-VP64 systeminduced the HSCs to hepatocyte-like phenotype. In conclusion, our study here revealed that CRISPR/dCas9-VP64 system encapsulated in AML12 cell-derived exosomes could be functional in HSCs, emerging as a gene therapy strategy for hepatic fibrosis