Department of Pathology, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Centre for Dermatology Research, NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Research, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Dec 18;21(24):9673. doi: 10.3390/ijms21249673.
Scars are generated in mature skin as a result of the normal repair process, but the replacement of normal tissue with scar tissue can lead to biomechanical and functional deficiencies in the skin as well as psychological and social issues for patients that negatively affect quality of life. Abnormal scars, such as hypertrophic scars and keloids, and cutaneous fibrosis that develops in diseases such as systemic sclerosis and graft-versus-host disease can be even more challenging for patients. There is a large body of literature suggesting that inflammation promotes the deposition of scar tissue by fibroblasts. Mast cells represent one inflammatory cell type in particular that has been implicated in skin scarring and fibrosis. Most published studies in this area support a pro-fibrotic role for mast cells in the skin, as many mast cell-derived mediators stimulate fibroblast activity and studies generally indicate higher numbers of mast cells and/or mast cell activation in scars and fibrotic skin. However, some studies in mast cell-deficient mice have suggested that these cells may not play a critical role in cutaneous scarring/fibrosis. Here, we will review the data for and against mast cells as key regulators of skin fibrosis and discuss scientific gaps in the field.
疤痕是成熟皮肤正常修复过程的结果，但正常组织被疤痕组织取代会导致皮肤的生物力学和功能缺陷，以及患者的心理和社会问题，从而对生活质量产生负面影响。异常疤痕，如增生性疤痕和瘢痕疙瘩，以及系统性硬化症和移植物抗宿主病等疾病中发生的皮肤纤维化，对患者来说甚至更具挑战性。大量文献表明，炎症通过成纤维细胞促进疤痕组织的沉积。肥大细胞是一种特别涉及皮肤疤痕和纤维化的炎症细胞类型。该领域的大多数已发表研究支持肥大细胞在皮肤中的促纤维化作用，因为许多肥大细胞衍生的介质刺激成纤维细胞活性，并且研究通常表明在疤痕和纤维化皮肤中存在更多的肥大细胞和/或肥大细胞激活。然而，肥大细胞缺陷小鼠的一些研究表明，这些细胞在皮肤疤痕/纤维化中可能不起关键作用。在这里，我们将回顾支持和反对肥大细胞作为皮肤纤维化关键调节剂的证据，并讨论该领域的科学空白。
