An updated review of the immunological mechanisms of keloid scars

Chih-Chun Lee; Chia-Hsuan Tsai; Chih-Hao Chen; Yuan-Chieh Yeh; Wen-Hung Chung; Chun-Bing Chen

doi:10.3389/fimmu.2023.1117630

An updated review of the immunological mechanisms of keloid scars

Front Immunol. 2023 Mar 22:14:1117630. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1117630. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Chih-Chun Lee¹, Chia-Hsuan Tsai^{2

3}, Chih-Hao Chen^{2

3}, Yuan-Chieh Yeh^{4

5}, Wen-Hung Chung^{3

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16}, Chun-Bing Chen^{3

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Affiliations

¹ 1 Department of Medical Education, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
² Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
³ College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
⁵ Program in Molecular Medicine, College of Life Sciences, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁶ Drug Hypersensitivity Clinical and Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
⁷ Drug Hypersensitivity Clinical and Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁸ Drug Hypersensitivity Clinical and Research Center, Department of Dermatology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
⁹ Cancer Vaccine and Immune Cell Therapy Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
¹⁰ Chang Gung Immunology Consortium, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and Chang Gung University, Linkou, Taiwan.
¹¹ Department of Dermatology, Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, Xiamen, China.
¹² Xiamen Chang Gung Allergology Consortium, Xiamen Chang Gung Hospital, Xiamen, China.
¹³ Whole-Genome Research Core Laboratory of Human Diseases, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Keelung, Taiwan.
¹⁴ Immune-Oncology Center of Excellence, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
¹⁵ Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.
¹⁶ Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan.
¹⁷ School of Medicine, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Abstract

Keloid is a type of disfiguring pathological scarring unique to human skin. The disorder is characterized by excessive collagen deposition. Immune cell infiltration is a hallmark of both normal and pathological tissue repair. However, the immunopathological mechanisms of keloid remain unclear. Recent studies have uncovered the pivotal role of both innate and adaptive immunity in modulating the aberrant behavior of keloid fibroblasts. Several novel therapeutics attempting to restore regulation of the immune microenvironment have shown variable efficacy. We review the current understanding of keloid immunopathogenesis and highlight the potential roles of immune pathway-specific therapeutics.

Keywords: T lymphocytes; cytokines; immunity; keloid; macrophages; scar; signal transduction.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Collagen
Fibroblasts / pathology
Humans
Keloid* / pathology
Skin / pathology
Wound Healing

Substances

Collagen

Grants and funding

This study was supported by research grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (grant no. MOST 110-2314-B-182A-106-MY2 to C-HT) and Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taiwan (grant no. CMRPG2L0181 to C-HT).