Abstract
Soft tissue fibrosis in important organs such as the heart, liver, lung, and kidney is a serious pathological process that is characterized by excessive connective tissue deposition. It is the result of chronic but progressive accumulation of fibroblasts and their production of extracellular matrix components such as collagens. Research on pathological scars, namely, hypertrophic scars and keloids, may provide important clues about the mechanisms that drive soft tissue fibrosis, in particular the vascular involvement. This is because these dermal fibrotic lesions bear all of the fibrotic characteristics seen in soft tissue fibrosis. Moreover, their location on the skin surface means they are readily observable and directly treatable and therefore more accessible to research. We will focus here on the roles that blood vessel-associated cells play in cutaneous scar pathology and assess from the literature whether these cells also contribute to other soft tissue fibroses. These cells include endothelial cells, which not only exhibit aberrant functions but also differentiate into mesenchymal cells in pathological scars. They also include pericytes, hepatic stellate cells, fibrocytes, and myofibroblasts. This article will review with broad strokes the roles that these cells play in the pathophysiology of different soft tissue fibroses. We hope that this brief but wide-ranging overview of the vascular involvement in fibrosis pathophysiology will aid research into the mechanisms underlying fibrosis and that this will eventually lead to the development of interventions that can prevent, reduce, or even reverse fibrosis formation and/or progression.
Highlights
Soft tissue fibrosis in important organs such as the heart, liver, lung, and kidney is a serious pathological process that is characterized by excessive connective tissue deposition
This paper briefly and with broad strokes describes what is known about the vascular involvement in soft tissue fibrosis
Based on the lessons learned from pathological scar research, it focuses on the vascular cells that contribute directly in one way or another to fibrosis, namely, endothelial cells, pericytes, and fibrocytes
Summary
Soft tissue fibrosis in important organs such as the heart, liver, lung, and kidney is a serious pathological process that is characterized by excessive connective tissue deposition. Hypertrophic scars and keloids, may provide important clues about the mechanisms that drive soft tissue fibrosis. Cells include endothelial cells, which exhibit aberrant exhibit aberrant in These pathological scars and transdifferentiate into mesenchymal cells functions in pathologicalwhich scars and transdifferentiate cells called myofibroblasts, called myofibroblasts, are highly contractile cellsinto thatmesenchymal produce large amounts of extracellular which highly They contractile thatcells produce extracellular matrix. Fibrocytes and myofibroblasts in soft tissue fibrosis, comparison to their normal roles
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.