Figure 1.

Imatinib seems to work in systemic sclerosis patients through the inhibition of the TGF-β and PDGF signaling pathway via c-Abl and directly by blocking PDGFR, which results in a decrease of gene transcription and consequently in a decrease in collagen production.

Abbreviations: c-Abl, c-Abelson; ECM, extracellular matrix proteins; PDGF, platelet-derived growth factor; PDGFR, platelet-derived growth factor receptor; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TGF-βR, transforming growth factor-β receptor.