Pathological Changes in Extracellular Matrix Composition Orchestrate the Fibrotic Feedback Loop Through Macrophage Activation in Dupuytren's Contracture.

ABSTRACT: Dupuytren's contracture belongs to a group of fibrotic diseases that have similar mechanisms but lack effective treatment and prevention options. The excessive accumulation of connective tissue in Dupuytren's disease leads to palmar fibrosis that results in contracture deformities. The present study aimed to investigate how the tissue microenvironment in Dupuytren's contracture affects the phenotypic differentiation of macrophages, which leads to an inflammatory response and the development of chronicity in fibrotic disease. We utilized a decellularization-based method combined with proteomic analysis to identify shifts in extracellular matrix composition and the surrounding tissue microenvironment. We found that the expression of several matricellular proteins, such as MFAP4, EFEMP1 (fibu

SUBMITTER: Heinmae E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11988646 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature