Beschrijving

Summarizes the findings concerning the biology of the myofibroblast, a cell involved in the evolution and contraction of granulation tissue and of fibrotic changes. This title shows that the myofibroblast is responsible for the development of hypertrophic scars, pulmonary and renal fibrosis and bronchial asthma.

hirty-four years after the first description of the myofibroblast, the number of publications concerning this cell is very impressive and Tcontinuously expanding, and the work on the myofibroblast involves many laboratories throughout the world. The myofibroblast has been implicated in developmental and physiological phenomena, as well as in a variety of pathological situations, going from wound healing and fibrotic changes to asthma and cancer invasion. Many aspects of myofibroblast biology have been clarified, such as the role of TGF-P and ED-A cellular fibronectin in its differentiation and the role of a-smooth muscle actin in tension production by this cell; however several important problems concerning myofibroblast origin, ftmction and participation in pathological processes remain to be solved. The purpose of this book, as well of the Meeting \