title: Dupuytren's disease therapy: targeting the vicious cycle of myofibroblasts?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dupuytren's disease (DD) is a proliferative fibromatosis of the hand, which causes permanent flexion contracture of the digits and, ultimately, loss of function. The treatment of DD is complex and involves surgical and nonsurgical approaches, with the goal of removing the affected tissue. New biological targets are under investigation in order to develop innovative therapies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The etiology of DD is still unknown. Several authors who focused their studies on the genetics of DD recognized an inherited autosomal dominant pattern. Actually, DD is a multifactorial and complex disease. Myofibroblasts are thought to play a crucial role in its pathogenesis, although their origin is not clear.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There is a general consensus that a better understanding of cellular and molecular mechanisms of DD will lead to the design of more specific and effective treatment alternatives. In this review, the authors hypothesize a new biological model for DD pathology, where myofibroblasts enhance the reservoir of the disease acting as if in a vicious cycle. This could help, ultimately, in identifying new therapeutic strategies to treat this common and disabling fibroproliferative disorder.
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Musumeci
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.|b 2 Cell Factory, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico , Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vadalà
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Fabrizio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pelacchi
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lanotte
authors.affiliation: a 1 Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Department of Orthopaedic and Trauma Surgery , Via Alvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy +39 06 2254111192 ; +39 06 225411638 ; m.musumeci@unicampus.it.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Denaro
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015195:Drug Design; D004387:Dupuytren Contracture / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D058990:Molecular Targeted Therapy; D058628:Myofibroblasts / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Dupuytren’s disease; molecular mechanisms; myofibroblasts; therapeutic strategies