TGF-β Made Easy

Abstract

Renal fibrosis is the final common pathway of several nephropathies including chronic allograft failure. Most chronic renal diseases result in tissue fibrosis, and this is independent of their initial cause. Tissue fibrosis is an accumulation of extracellular matrix, and in animal models of renal fibrosis, mRNA levels for profibrogenic cytokines such as transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and extracellular matrix (ECM) molecular components are up regulated and they precede glomerulosclerosis and interstitial fibrosis. TGFβ 1 plays a crucial role in renal fibrosis. In this review the main features of this important cytokine and existing previous therapeutic attempts to inhibit TGFβ expression are briefly summarised.