New Developments in Peritoneal Fibroblast Biology: Implications for Inflammation and Fibrosis in Peritoneal Dialysis

Figure 2

Potential myofibroblast precursors contributing to peritoneal fibrosis in PD. In response to peritoneal irritation or injury, myofibroblasts accumulate in the peritoneum as a result of (i) resident peritoneal fibroblasts activation and proliferation; (ii) transformation of local pericytes; (iii) proliferation and infiltration by resident and circulating fibrocytes; (iv) differentiation of local mesenchymal stem cells; (v) dedifferentiation and mesenchymal transition of peritoneal mesothelial cells; and (vi) dedifferentiation and mesenchymal transition of endothelial cells (adapted from [32, 48]).