Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix, or at least one agent that degrades excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix, or at least one agent that degrades excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating or arresting the progress of pathologies characterized by an accumulation of extracellular matrix components by providing an agent to suppress the activity of transforming growth factor ? (TGF-?) a peptide growth factor which is anabolic and leads to fibrosis and angiogenesis. In one embodiment, such agent is anti-TGF-? antibody. Pathologies which can be so treated include, but are not limited to, glomerulonephritis, adult respiratory distress syndrome and cirrhosis of the liver. The invention further provides a method for the diagnosis of pathologies, or incipient pathologies, which are characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix components in tissues by determining the levels of TGF-? in the tissues, a high level being indicative of such pathologies.

Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix, or at least one agent that degrades excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention is methods and compositions for reducing and preventing the excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in a tissue and/or organ or at a wound site using a combination of agents that inhibit TGF?, or using agents that inhibit TGF? in combination with agents that degrade excess accumulated extracellular matrix. The compositions and methods of the invention are used to treat conditions such as fibrotic diseases and scarring that result from excess accumulation of extracellular matrix, impairing tissue or organ function or skin appearance in a subject.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method for treating or arresting the progress of pathologies characterized by an accumulation of extracellular matrix components by providing an agent to suppress the activity of transforming growth factor &bgr; (TGF-&bgr;) a peptide growth factor which is anabolic and leads to fibrosis and angiogenesis. In one embodiment, such agent is anti-TGF-&bgr; antibody. Pathologies which can be so treated include, but are not limited to, glomerulonephritis, adult respiratory distress syndrome and cirrhosis of the liver. The invention further provides a method for the diagnosis of pathologies, or incipient pathologies, which are characterized by the accumulation of extracellular matrix components in tissues by determining the levels of TGF-&bgr; in the tissues, a high level being indicative of such pathologies.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method of inhibiting an activity of a cell regulatory factor comprising contacting the cell regulatory factor with a purified polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide comprises the cell regulatory factor binding domain of a protein and wherein the protein is characterized by a leucine-rich repeat of about 24 amino acids. In a specific embodiment, the present invention relates to the ability of decorin, a 40,000 dalton protein that usually carries a glycosaminoglycan chain, to bind TGF-&bgr;. The invention also provides a novel cell regulatory factor designated MRF. Also provided are methods of identifying, detecting and purifying cell regulatory factors and proteins which bind and affect the activity of cell regulatory factors. The present invention further relates to methods for the prevention or reduction of scarring by administering decorin or a functional equivalent of decorin to a wound.

Abstract: The present invention relates to methods of preventing or reducing scarring in a wound area by administering decorin or biglycan to the wound.

Abstract: The present invention is methods for inhibiting the renin-induced production of TGF&bgr; using a renin inhibitory agent to reduce excess accumulation of extracellular matrix in tissue in a subject, and to the use of renin inhibitory agents and additional TGF&bgr; inhibitory agents to reduce TGF&bgr; production to treat and prevent fibrotic diseases.

Abstract: The present invention provides methods for reducing a pathology in a subject characterized by a deleterious accumulation of TGF-.beta.-induced extracellular matrix in a tissue by introducing a nucleic acid encoding a TGF.beta.-specific inhibitory agent or active fragment thereof into a cell in the subject. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid encoding the TGF-.beta. specific inhibitory agent is introduced into a cell in vivo by injection, for example, in skeletal muscle. In another embodiment, the nucleic acid encoding the TGF-.beta. specific inhibitory agent is transfected into a cell ex vivo to obtain a cell expressing the agent, and the cell is then administered into the subject to be treated. TGF-.beta. specific inhibitory agents of the present invention include, but are not limited to, members of the decoring family of proteoglycans such as decorin, biglycan, fibromodulin and lumican or an antibody specific for TGF-.beta..

Abstract: A method of treating of glomerulonephritis in a patient by administering decorin.