Fibroserende aandoeningen

• Fibrosis is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the Western world.
• This disorder is characterised by an abnormal and increased rate of fibroblast proliferation and by an excessive deposition of connective tissue. The key player in fibrosis is the myofibroblast.
• Fibrosis leads to loss of organ structure and, eventually, to decrease in organ function.
• To date, there are hardly any effective therapies for the treatment of patients with fibrosis.
• Pirfenidone targets the myofibroblast and is effective in the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors are effective for the treatment of patients with some forms of systemic sclerosis.
• Here we describe various novel therapeutic targets, such as transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), interleukin-13 (IL-13), lysyloxidase-2 and macrophage-fibroblast interactions. These new therapies are currently under investigation in pre-clinical and clinical studies.

Conflict of interest and financial support: ICMJE forms provided by the authors are available online along with the full text of this article.