Figure 3.

The proposed processes of apoptosis, autophagy, and cellular stress in SSc-ILD patients. Schematic representation of apoptosis, autophagy, and oxidative stress processes in SSc-ILD, where apoptosis is marked in green, autophagy in blue, and oxidative stress in orange. Downregulation of HIPK2 kinase in NSIP and p53-Mdm2 conjugate in UIP/IPF patients indicate the differences between apoptotic pathways involved in the pathogenesis of NSIP and UIP/IPF, respectively. PRDX1 is solely upregulated in NSIP-specific areas in comparison with IPF, suggesting more severe oxidative stress in IPF patients.