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Review
. 2020 Jul 22;21(15):5203.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21155203.

The Roles of Immune Cells in the Pathogenesis of Fibrosis

Enyu Huang  1 , Na Peng  2 , Fan Xiao  1 , Dajun Hu  2 , Xiaohui Wang  1 , Liwei Lu  1
Affiliations
Review

The Roles of Immune Cells in the Pathogenesis of Fibrosis

Enyu Huang et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Tissue injury and inflammatory response trigger the development of fibrosis in various diseases. It has been recognized that both innate and adaptive immune cells are important players with multifaceted functions in fibrogenesis. The activated immune cells produce various cytokines, modulate the differentiation and functions of myofibroblasts via diverse molecular mechanisms, and regulate fibrotic development. The immune cells exhibit differential functions during different stages of fibrotic diseases. In this review, we summarized recent advances in understanding the roles of immune cells in regulating fibrotic development and immune-based therapies in different disorders and discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms with a focus on mTOR and JAK-STAT signaling pathways.

Keywords: adaptive immune cells; fibrosis; innate immune cells; molecular mechanism; myofibroblast.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Roles of immune cells in the pathogenesis of fibrosis. During inflammatory responses, many immune cell populations with diverse functions are activated to produce multiple cytokines that either activate (red arrow) or suppress (blue arrow) the differentiation, proliferation, and collagen production of myofibroblasts, promoting or suppressing the development of fibrosis in various diseases.
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