Alcoholic Cirrhosis

A 52-year-old male with a 20-year history of heavy alcohol consumption (60–80 g/day) presents with jaundice, ascites, and hepatic encephalopathy. Imaging and biopsy confirm cirrhosis. The histopathology shows uniform small regenerative nodules <3 mm separated by thin fibrous septa, with evidence of Mallory-Denk bodies and pericellular fibrosis in a perivenular distribution. The gross appearance of the liver is finely granular ("hobnail liver"). This pattern corresponds to the cirrhosis type marked **B** in the diagram. Which of the following pathophysiologic mechanisms is MOST directly responsible for the pericentral/perivenular fibrosis pattern seen in this patient's alcoholic cirrhosis?