Disruption of transforming growth factor β signaling and profibrotic responses in normal skin fibroblasts by peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ

Objective In fibroblasts, transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) stimulates collagen synthesis and myofibroblast transdifferentiation through the Smad intracellular signal transduction pathway. TGFβ‐mediated fibroblast activation is the hallmark of scleroderma and related fibrotic conditions, and di…