Targeting of Smad7 in Mesenchymal Cells Does Not Exacerbate Fibrosis During Experimental Chronic Pancreatitis

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-mediated accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen I is a common feature of fibrosis. Pancreatic stellate cells play an integral role in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis, and their profibrotic ability is mainly mediated by TGF-β signaling. To specifically address the role of fibrogenic cells in experimental pancreatic fibrosis, we deleted Smad7, the main feedback inhibitor of TGF-β signaling in this cell type in mice.

A mouse strain harboring a conditional knockout allele of Smad7 (Smad7fl/fl) with the tamoxifen-inducible inducible Col1a2-CreERT allele was generated and compared with wild-type mice challenged with the cerulein-based model of chronic pancreatitis.

Pancreatic stellate cells lacking Smad7 had significantly increased collagen I and fibronectin production and showed a higher activation level in vitro. Surprisingly, the fibrotic index in the pancreata of treated conditional knockout mice was only slightly increased, without statistical significance. Except for fibronectin, the expression of different extracellular matrix proteins and the numbers of fibroblasts and inflammatory cells were similar between Smad7-mutant and control mice.

There was no clear evidence that the lack of Smad7 in pancreatic stellate cells plays a major role in experimental pancreatitis, at least in the mouse model investigated here.