CNT Biosafety: Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes Directly Promote Fibroblast-Myofibroblast and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transitions through the Activation of the TGF-β/Smad Signaling Pathway (Small 4/2015)

The underlying mechanisms demonstrated by C. Chen and co-workers on page 446 show how multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) induce granuloma formation and fibrotic responses in vivo. MWCNT exposure can promote a fibroblast-to-myofibroblast conversion and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) through the activation of the TGF-ß/Smad signaling pathway. Both of the cell transitions may play important roles in MWCNT-induced pulmonary fibrosis.