Heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibition targets canonical TGF-β signalling to prevent fibrosis.

Objectives: Targeted therapies for systemic sclerosis (SSc) and other fibrotic diseases are not yet available. We evaluated the efficacy of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) inhibition as a novel approach to inhibition of aberrant transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signalling and for the treatment of fibrosis in preclinical models of SSc.

Methods: Expression of Hsp90 was quantified by quantitative PCR, western blot and immunohistochemistry.