Fibrosis is a common pathological sequela of tissue injury or inflammation, and is a major
cause of organ failure. Subsets of fibroblasts contribute to tissue fibrosis in multiple ways …

α-Smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) is used as a marker for a subset of activated fibrogenic cells,
myofibroblasts, which are regarded as important effector cells of tissue fibrogenesis. We …

To evaluate whether α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) plays a role in fibroblast contractility,
we first compared the contractile activity of rat subcutaneous fibroblasts (SCFs), expressing …

Cardiac myofibroblasts play an important role in myocardial remodeling. Although α-smooth
muscle actin (α-SMA) expression is the hallmark of mature myofibroblasts, its role in …

Tissue stiffening is a predominant feature of fibrosis and it obstructs organs whose
mechanical properties are important for their function, such as the heart, lung, skin, and …

Background IGF-1 is elevated in pulmonary fibrosis and acute lung injury, where fibroblast
activation is a prominent feature. We previously demonstrated that blockade of IGF pathway …

Myofibroblasts are specialized fibroblasts responsible for granulation tissue contraction and
the soft tissue retractions occurring during fibrocontractive diseases. The marker of fibroblast …

Fibroblast/myofibroblast expansion is critical in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. To
date, most research has focused on profibrotic mediators, whereas studies on antifibrotic …

Abstract Purpose of Review Organ fibrosis is a lethal component of scleroderma. The
hallmark of scleroderma fibrosis is extensive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition by …

The myofibroblast is a specialized fibroblast that expresses α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)
and participates in wound contraction and fibrosis. The fibroblast to myofibroblast transition …