Transient exposure to inflammation-associated, fibroblast-stimulatory factors appears to initiate fibrosis by inducing the persistently activated phenotypes displayed by fibroblast cultures derived from scleroderma skin and other fibrotic tissues. To determine whether one class of fibroblast-inhibitory factors, the interferons (IFNs), plays a role in terminating fibrosis by acting as persistent fibroblast deactivators, we inhibited (40-60%) the growth and collagen production of normal dermal fibroblasts and hypercollagen-producing scleroderma fibroblasts by short-term exposure to IFN-alpha, beta, or gamma. During subsequent subculture in the absence of IFNs, the growth and collagen production of normal fibroblasts and the growth of scleroderma fibroblasts increased to untreated control levels after two to three passages. In contrast, collagen production by scleroderma fibroblasts remained inhibited for at least five passages (18 cell doublings) and was not further suppressed by subsequent IFN exposure. These data suggest that IFNs may help terminate fibrosis by suppressing persistently activated fibroblast functions.
M R Duncan, B Berman
Usage data is cumulative from April 2023 through April 2024.
Usage | JCI | PMC |
---|---|---|
Text version | 56 | 0 |
22 | 17 | |
Scanned page | 42 | 1 |
Citation downloads | 4 | 0 |
Totals | 124 | 18 |
Total Views | 142 |
Usage information is collected from two different sources: this site (JCI) and Pubmed Central (PMC). JCI information (compiled daily) shows human readership based on methods we employ to screen out robotic usage. PMC information (aggregated monthly) is also similarly screened of robotic usage.
Various methods are used to distinguish robotic usage. For example, Google automatically scans articles to add to its search index and identifies itself as robotic; other services might not clearly identify themselves as robotic, or they are new or unknown as robotic. Because this activity can be misinterpreted as human readership, data may be re-processed periodically to reflect an improved understanding of robotic activity. Because of these factors, readers should consider usage information illustrative but subject to change.