The Significance of Notch Pathway in the Development of Fibrosis in Systemic Sclerosis

The study explored the role of the NOTCH signaling pathway in the development of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc), an autoimmune disorder. It found that excessive activation of fibroblasts in SSc was linked to higher expression of Notch1 and/or Notch3 genes. The NOTCH pathway was involved in fibrosis development, myofibroblast formation, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition, causing changes in epithelial cells. Inhibition of NOTCH signaling was shown to prevent fibrosis in various models, such as bleomycin-induced fibrosis and the Task-1 mouse model. However, the complete molecular mechanisms of NOTCH signaling in SSc-related fibrosis were not fully understood.