Macrophage-Myofibroblast Transition as a Potential Origin for Skeletal Muscle Fibrosis After Injury via Complement System Activation.

Fibrosis following acute injury is disastrous to skeletal muscle, but the origin of myofibroblasts remains unclear. We proved that, following acute injury, macrophage-myofibroblast transition happened in skeletal muscle, which may contribute to fibrosis formation. This phenomenon mainly occurred at five days post-injury. The complement system can activate MMT. More evidence is needed to directly support the pro-fibrotic role of MMT in skeletal muscle fibrosis after acute injury.