Human fibrocytes are mesenchymal progenitors that exhibit mixed morphological and
molecular characteristics of hematopoietic stem cells, monocytes and fibroblasts. They likely
represent the obligate intermediate stage of differentiation into mature mesenchymal cells of
a bone marrow-derived precursor of the monocyte lineage under permissive conditions. On
in vitro stimulation with pro-fibrotic cytokines and growth factors, human fibrocytes produce
large quantities of extracellular matrix components and further differentiate into cells …