Fig. 4.

Immunomodulatory function of SSCs. SSCs are recruited to sites of tissue damage in response to local inflammatory cytokines produced by activated immune cells. SSC activation leads to the production of immunosuppressive factors and trophic factors. Depending on the types of immune responses (acute vs. chronic inflammation), SSCs may either attenuate the inflammatory response and lead to tissue repair, or maintain a persistent chronic inflammatory response, leading to fibrosis and deformation of tissue architecture [84].