Altered Dermal Fibroblasts in Systemic Sclerosis Display Podoplanin and CD90
August 2016
in “
American Journal Of Pathology
”
TLDR Fibroblast changes in systemic sclerosis may help understand disease severity and treatment.
The study examined changes in dermal fibroblasts in systemic sclerosis (SSc), focusing on the transition from CD34+ to podoplanin+ (Pdpn) and CD90+ fibroblasts. This transition was observed in 48 diffuse and 24 limited cutaneous SSc patients compared to 11 healthy controls, and was more extensive in SSc than in other inflammatory skin diseases. The findings suggested that inflammatory stimuli like TNF and IL-1β could induce this fibroblast transition, which was associated with disease severity and fibrotic processes. The study highlighted the complexity of fibroblast differentiation in SSc and suggested that these changes might provide insights into early disease events and aid in patient staging and treatment evaluation.