ArticleJournal of translational medicine2023
Microfat exerts an anti-fibrotic effect on human hypertrophic scar via fetuin-A/ETV4 axis.
Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- MFAP4 Promotes Scar Formation by Regulating Macrophage-Myofibroblast Transformation Through Activation of the TGF-β/Smad3 Signalling Pathway.Experimental dermatology · 2026Article
- Single-cell transcriptomic profiling identifies YY1 as a key regulator of fibroblast plasticity in hypertrophic scar formation.Burns & trauma · 2026Article
- Nifedipine Induces FAM20A Upregulation and LRP2/CUBN-Mediated Fetuin-A Accumulation in Gingival Overgrowth.International journal of dentistry · 2026Article
- The Pathophysiology and Management of Pathologic Scarring-a Contemporary Review.Advances in wound care · 2025Review
- Extended characterization of IL-33/ST2 as a predictor for wound age determination in skin wound tissue samples of humans and mice.International journal of legal medicine · 2023Article
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundHypertrophic scar is a fibrotic disease following wound healing and is characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition. Autologous microfat grafting proves an effective strategy for the treatment thereof as it could improve the texture of scars and relieve relevant symptoms. This study aims to explore the potential mechanisms underlying the anti-fibrotic effect of microfat on hypertrophic scars.
methodsIn this study, we injected microfat into transplanted hypertrophic scars in mouse models and investigated the subsequent histological changes and differential expression of mRNAs therein. As for in vitro studies, we co-cultured microfat and hypertrophic scar fibroblasts (HSFs) and analyzed molecular profile changes in HSFs co-cultured with microfat by RNA sequencing. Moreover, to identify the key transcription factors (TFs) which might be responsible for the anti-fibrotic function of microfat, we screened the differentially expressed TFs and transfected HSFs with lentivirus to overexpress or knockdown certain differentially expressed TFs. Furthermore, comparative secretome analyses were conducted to investigate the proteins secreted by co-cultured microfat; changes in gene expression of HSFs were examined after the administration of the potential anti-fibrotic protein. Finally, the relationship between the key TF in HSFs and the microfat-secreted anti-fibrotic adipokine was analyzed.
resultsThe anti-fibrotic effect of microfat was confirmed by in vivo transplanted hypertrophic scar models, as the number of α-SMA-positive myofibroblasts was decreased and the expression of fibrosis-related genes downregulated. Co-cultured microfat suppressed the extracellular matrix production of HSFs in in vitro experiment, and the transcription factor ETV4 was primarily differentially expressed in HSFs when compared with normal skin fibroblasts. Overexpression of ETV4 significantly decreased the expression of fibrosis-related genes in HSFs at both mRNA and protein levels. Fetuin-A secreted by microfat could also downregulate the expression of fibrosis-related genes in HSFs, partially through upregulating ETV4 expression.
conclusionsOur results demonstrated that transcription factor ETV4 is essential for the anti-fibrotic effect of microfat on hypertrophic scars, and that fetuin-A secreted by microfat could suppress the fibrotic characteristic of HSFs through upregulating ETV4 expression. Microfat wields an alleviative influence over hypertrophic scars via fetuin-A/ETV4 axis.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.