Fibroblasts: The Unknown Sentinels Eliciting Immune Responses Against Microorganisms

Bautista-Hernández, Luis Antonio; Gómez-Olivares, José Luis; Buentello-Volante, Beatriz; Bautista-de Lucio, Victor Manuel

The sentinels have other instruments with which to defend against intruders and to stimulate cell proliferation as growth factors. The sentinel fi broblasts release another alarm: "Hey partners, this is the second warning. Come with us! The intruder will not escape." Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A) is a factor involved in infl ammatory neovascularization, and it is able to recruitment monocytes/macrophages [45] . VEGF-A increases in C. albicans keratitis; this growth factor was present in the epithelium and stroma of infected corneas in a murine model of fungal keratitis [46] . Fibroblasts are also important stromal cells. Kirker and colleagues found VEGF expression in epidermal fi broblasts challenged with supernatants from planktonic cells of S. aureus [38] . This information indicates the ability of the fi broblasts to synthesize VEGF, to promote the recruitment of cells, such as monocytes and macrophages, and to induce infl ammatory neovascularization.