Elastic fibers are extracellular structures that provide stretch and recoil properties of tissues,
such as lungs, arteries, and skin. Elastin is the predominant component of elastic fibers.
Tropoelastin (TE), the precursor of elastin, is synthesized mainly during late fetal and early
postnatal stages. The turnover of elastin in normal adult tissues is minimal. However, in
several pathological conditions often associated with inflammation and oxidative stress,
elastogenesis is re-initiated, but newly synthesized elastic fibers appear abnormal. We …