THE ROLE OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-BETA IN DUPUYTRENS DISEASE

This study was undertaken to mark immunologically intracellular and ex tracellular sites of two common transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b eta) isoforms, TGF-beta(1) and TGF-beta(2), in the proliferative, invo lutional, and residual stages of Dupuytren's disease. The effect of TG F-beta on myofibroblast proliferation was also studied using explant c ultures from Dupuytren's nodules in the proliferative or involutional stage. TGF-beta(1), TGF-beta(2) and the combination of both isoforms w ere studied al low and high myofibroblast plating densities to simulat e respectively proliferative or involutional disease stage conditions. Our results indicate that TGF-beta(1) showed an intense intracellular marking pattern associated with fibroblasts, myofibroblasts, and capi llary endothelial cells in all Dupuytren's samples, regardless of dise ase stage. TGF-beta(2) showed an intense intracellular localization wi thin myofibroblasts in the proliferative and involutional stages. Fibr oblasts in the residual stage did not contain TGF-beta(2). Neither iso form was present in the extracellular matrix. Results of cell culture indicate that compared with control myofibroblasts, the addition of TG F-beta(1), TGF-beta(2) and TGF-beta(1) + beta(2) had significant effec ts on myofibroblast proliferation, especially at higher plating densit ies. However, TGF-beta(2) had the most significant proliferative effec t.