[Skin fibrosis : Novel insights in pathophysiology and treatment]

Abstract

The pathogenesis of fibrosing alterations in the skin and other organ systems is not yet sufficiently understood and current therapeutic options are limited. Fibrosing diseases of the skin lead to a loss of function, which can subsequently be accompanied by serious impairments in quality of life, increased morbidity and ultimately increased mortality. There are currently only a few pharmacological and therapeutic approaches approved to prevent or ameliorate fibrosing diseases. Furthermore, tissue-specific versus common, non-organ-specific pathophysiological cellular and molecular mechanisms are not resolved. The development of new, cause-based and therefore likely more efficient therapeutic approaches is urgently needed. This represents a major challenge, but also opens up the opportunity for special contributions to improve this medically unsolved problem. Here we present important findings from recent years with a focus on the role of the immune response in fibrogenesis.

Keywords: Fibroblasts; Immune response; Immunoregulation; Monocytes and macrophages; Type 2 immunity.