BACKGROUND Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), the main metabolite of cyclooxygenase (COX), is a well-known anti-fibrotic agent. Moreover, myofibroblasts expressing α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), fibroblast expansion and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) are critical to the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Our aim was to investigate the expression of COX-2 and PGE2 in human lung ...

Myofibroblasts are reparative connective tissue cells that contribute to the reconstruction of injured tissue by secreting new extracellular matrix and by exerting high contractile force. Deregulation of these activities results in tissue contracture and development of fibrosis which makes the myofibroblast an important target for anti-fibrotic therapies. Two principle factors drive the develop...

chicken chemokine can help heal wounds by inducing fibroblasts to become myofibroblasts, according to results reported by Feugate et al. on page 161. The contractile myofibroblasts help close the wound by pulling together the necessary cells and matrix. Chemokines are better known for their activities in the immune system, but increased production of chicken chemotactic and angiogenic factor (c...

Pathological myofibroblasts are often involved in skin scarring via generating contractile force and over-expressing collagen fibers, but no compound has been found to inhibit the myofibroblasts without showing severe toxicity to surrounding physiological cells. Here we report that di-rhamnolipid, a biosurfactant secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, showed potent effects on scar therapy via a un...

We recently reported that chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells converted into myofibroblasts to create a microenvironment for proliferation of CML cells in vitro. To analyze a biological contribution of CML-derived myofibroblasts in vivo, we observed the characters of leukemic nonobese diabetes/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mouse. Bone marrow nonadherent mononuclear cells as w...

chicken chemokine can help heal wounds by inducing fibroblasts to become myofibroblasts, according to results reported by Feugate et al. on page 161. The contractile myofibroblasts help close the wound by pulling together the necessary cells and matrix. Chemokines are better known for their activities in the immune system, but increased production of chicken chemotactic and angiogenic factor (c...

THE MYOFIBROBLAST Myofibroblasts are modified fibroblasts which were first identified in granulation tissue, where they are probably derived from local fibroblasts, and which form the principal component of a number of reactive and benign soft tissue lesions. Under mechanical stress, the fibroblasts acquire cytoplasmic actin-containing microfilaments or stress fibres which express β−and γ-actin...

Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) are defined as multipotent spheroid-forming cells cultured from the dermis that express markers of neural crest origin. Recent evidence suggests that tissue fibrosis can occur through the differentiation of progenitor cells into smooth muscle-like myofibroblasts. CCN2, a marker and mediator of fibrosis, is highly expressed during myofibroblast differentiation and ...

Myofibroblasts are contractile cells having features intermediate between those of the fibroblast and smooth muscle. Myofibroblasts in preretinal membranes may cause retinal traction in proliferative retinal diseases. In this study, we demonstrate the presence of a chronically contractile subpopulation of myofibroblasts in pre-retinal membranes. Apha smooth muscle actin or desmin, both markers ...

Section Editor: Werner Zwerschke myofibroblasts, which then overproduce extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (Camelo et al., 2014). Histologically, IPF presents with patches of fibroblastic foci with temporal heterogeneity (King et al., 2001). These foci are comprised of myofibroblasts, which damage the alveolar epithelium through continuous fibroblastic proliferation and ECM production (Camelo ...