MATRIX RECEPTORS TO CYTOKINES - FROM CONCEPT TO CONTROL OF TISSUE FIBROSIS DYNAMICS

Fibrous tissue formation is one of the main elements of tissue repair and maintains the organ functional integrity after any aggression. Whe n this connective tissue excessively accumulates, leading to tissue fi brosis, it induces serious impairment in the considered organ. The ext racellular matrix - whose structure displays a great polymorphism - bi nds various active molecules (such as FGF, TGF beta, IFN gamma...) and therefore locally regulates cellular activities. The latest studies b oth on fibrosis and on matrix receptors to cytokines have fed to the i dea of a matricial specificity to the cell's close surrounding.