Transforming growth factor-beta and wound healing.

Acute and chronic wounds are a source of significant morbidity for patients, and they demand a growing portion of health-care time and finances to be devoted to their care. Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) has surfaced from abundant research as a key signal in orchestrating wound repair. In beginning this review, we discuss the inflammatory, proliferative, and maturational phases of wound healing. We then focus on TGF-beta by first discussing the pathway from its production to the target cell where Smad proteins execute an intracellular signaling cascade. To review TGF-beta's role in wound healing, we discuss the actions of it individually on keratinocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and monocytes, which are the major cell types involved in wound repair. From illustrating these cellular actions of TGF-beta, we summarize its multipotent role in the process of wound repair. As a clinical correlation, we also review research dedicated to the involvement of TGF-beta in venous stasis ulcers.