Fig. 3

Diagnostic biomarkers of pathological scarring. Concentration distributions of a IL-10, b fibronectin, c TIMP-1, d CXCL8, e TGF-β, and f IL-6 in normal-healing simulations (solid green lines), mild pathological-scarring simulations (dotted pink lines), and severe pathological-scarring simulations (dashed pink lines) at the final simulated time point (i.e., day 40). Brackets (x-axis) designate concentrations. y-axis represents the percentage of simulations for each curve (described in “Methods” section). g Solid bars represent the fold changes in protein levels in human scar tissue calculated from published experimental data available in the literature. A fold change was calculated as the level of a protein measured in the material derived from pathological scar tissue divided by its corresponding level measured in the material derived from scar tissue under normal-healing conditions. The assay used to measure the level of a particular protein, as well as the time at which the measurement was performed, varied between different experimental studies. The data on TGF-β and TIMP-1 were taken from Refs. [21, 22], respectively. The data on IL-10 were taken from two separate studies: Ref. [20] [IL-10 (1)] and Ref. [23] [IL-10 (2)]. The data on fibronectin were also taken from two separate studies: Ref. [14] [Fibronectin (1)] and Ref. [24] [Fibronectin (2)]. Open bars represent the corresponding model-simulated fold change values. We have not found any published experimental data on the levels of CXCL8 and IL-6 in pathological scars