Research progress on secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine in skin fibrosis disease

The main pathological feature of skin fibrosis disease is the excessive deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) dominated by collagen in the dermis, which can lead to skin thickening or hypertrophic scar. Typical fibrotic lesions of the skin include scleroderma, hypertrophic scars and keloids. Studies found that secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC) is overexpressed in various fibrotic tissues. SPARC is a typical calcium binding matrix protein that can regulate interactions between cells and ECM, and affect responses of cells to growth factors. This study reviewed the research progress of SPARC in skin fibrosis so as to provide evidence for SPARC as a potential target for alleviating fibrosis.