Dopamine receptors and organ fibrosis

Abstract

Organ fibrosis, considered as a major global health concern, is a pathological condition often occurring after tissue injury in various organs. The pathogenesis of fibrosis involves multiple phases and multiple cell types. Dopamine is involved in various life activities by activating five receptors (D1, D2, D3, D4, D5). Activation or loss of function of dopamine receptors has been reported to be associated with the fibrosis of several organs, such as ocular, lung, liver, heart, and kidney. In this paper, we review dopamine receptors' potential roles in organ fibrosis and mechanisms by which organ fibrosis develops or decreases when dopamine receptors function is activated or perturbed.

Keywords: Dopamine; Dopamine receptors; Fibrosis.

Fig. 1

Schematic diagram of dopamine receptors and organ fibrosis. D₁R, dopamine D1 receptor; D₂R, dopamine D2 receptor; D₃R, dopamine D3 receptor; D₄R, dopamine D4 receptor; D₅R, dopamine D5 receptor; TGF-β1, transforming growth factor-beta 1; YAP, Yes-associated protein; TAZ,transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif; NLRP3, nucleotide-binding domain-like receptor protein 3.