Before VEGF treatment, CTGF mRNA levels in both forms of SSc, independent of the disease duration, were higher than those observed in HC-MSCs (CTGF mRNA levels: 4.12 (range, 3.24 to 4.87) in SSc-MSCs vs. 1.16 (range, 0.88 to 1.78) in HC-MSCs, P <0.0001). Here, CCN2 is linked to systemic sclerosis.