Comparative effects of growth factors on fibroblasts of Dupuytren's tissue and normal palmar fascia.

Recent experimental evidence implicates various growth factors in the pathophysiology of Dupuytren's disease. This study describes a technique to produce an in vitro cell culture system from both normal palmar fascia and Dupuytren's fascia. The cells were separately exposed to basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), after which the effects of these growth factors on proliferation rate and collagen production were determined. Basic FGF and PDGF were found to be mitogenic for both cell types, and TGF-beta was a potent stimulator of collagen production for both cell types. There were quantitative and qualitative differences between the cell types, with Dupuytren cells being more metabolically active and more sensitive to the growth factors tested. We present a theoretical model based on previous investigations and incorporating the contribution of growth factors as it relates to the pathophysiology of Dupuytren's disease.