Down-regulating causes of fibrosis with tamoxifen: a possible cellular/molecular approach to treat rhinophyma.

Fibrosis and proliferative scarring are prominent features of the severe forms of rhinophyma. Up-regulation of growth and fibroblast kinetics are hallmarks of fibrosis. Persistent overexpression or dysregulated activation of the fibrogenic isoforms of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) is associated with the increased fibroblast function leading to fibrotic conditions such as rhinophyma. Tamoxifen, a synthetic nonsteroidal antiestrogen, can neutralize or down-regulate TGF-beta. Fibroblast-populated collagen lattices (FPCLs) were constructed from fibroblasts cultured from rhinophyma or normal nasal skin. One-half of each set of FPCLs was treated with Tamoxifen. Lattice contraction was serially measured over 5 days, and the supernatants of the cultures were analyzed for TGF-beta-2 by immunoassay. Tamoxifen significantly decreased fibroblast activity by decreasing contraction of the treated lattices (P < 0.05) and significantly decreased the production/secretion of TGF-beta-2 by rhinophyma fibroblasts (P < 0.001). These results suggest a possible new cellular/molecular approach to the treatment of the fibrotic varieties of rhinophyma.