Eosinophilic inflammation is a cornerstone of chronic asthma that often culminates in subepithelial fibrosis with variable airway obstruction. Pulmonary eosinophils (Eos) are a predominant source of TGF-beta1, which drives fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition. We investigated the regulation of TGF-beta1 and show here that the peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) Pin1 promo...

Increased lung IL-4 expression in pulmonary fibrosis suggests a potential pathogenetic role for this cytokine. To dissect this role, bleomycin-induced pulmonary inflammation and fibrosis were analyzed and compared in wild type (IL-4(+/+)) vs IL-4-deficient (IL-4(-/-)) mice. Lethal pulmonary injury after bleomycin treatment was higher in IL-4(-/-) vs IL-4(+/+) mice. By administration of anti-CD3...

Alveolar epithelial cells are known to be present at the primary site of lung damage in pulmonary fibrosis. Apoptosis has been implicated as being involved in epithelial cell damage and pulmonary fibrosis. Because the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 induces G1 arrest and DNA repair and because it also prevents apoptosis in some cells, we hypothesized that p21 gene transfer may attenuate b...

Sarcoidosis is characterized by granulomatous inflammation developing in the affected organs. The ethiopathogenesis of the disease is still unknown. The lungs are most commonly affected, and uncontrolled, long-lasting inflammation can result in pulmonary fibrosis. Many different mediators, such as cytokines, chemokines, and other proteins with various functions that participate in its complex p...

THE STUDY BY KERN LOVGREN et al., the current article in focus (Ref. 6, see p. L144 in this issue), provides an insight into important functions for an underappreciated ligand-receptor pair, prostacyclin (PGI2) and its receptor (IP) in the complex environment of inflammation and fibrosis. In endothelial cells, PGI2 is synthesized by the sequential action of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and a single...

We investigated the harmful effects of exposure to a toner with external additives by a long-term inhalation study using rats, examining pulmonary inflammation, oxidative stress, and histopathological changes in the lung. Wistar rats were exposed to a well-dispersed toner (mean of MMAD: 2.1 μm) at three mass concentrations of 1, 4, and 16 mg/m3 for 22.5 months, and the rats were sacrificed afte...

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is characterized by exuberant apoptosis and inadequate regeneration of lung parenchyma cells. Intratracheal alveolar type II epithelial cell instillation alleviates lung inflammation and fibrosis. Resident lung epithelial stem cells, as well as exogenous mesenchymal stem cells, are capable of differentiating into lung epithelial cells and repair the injured l...

Long term pulmonary exposure to crystalline silica leads to silicosis that manifests progressive interstitial fibrosis, eventually leading to respiratory failure and death. Despite efforts to eliminate silicosis, clinical cases continue to occur in both developing and developed countries. The exact mechanisms of crystalline silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis remain elusive. Herein, we find that ...

Although the activity of nitric oxide (NO) synthases are increased in lung tissue of patients with cystic fibrosis, the concentrations of nasal and exhaled NO have recently been found to be decreased in cystic fibrosis. This could either be due to reduced NO formation or metabolism of NO within airway fluids. In this study, the stable NO metabolites, nitrate and nitrite, were determined in the ...

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a comprehensive term referring to a group of lung diseases affecting the interstitium of the lung. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most common idiopathic ILD, and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) is the second most common. As the name suggests, NSIP is diagnosed after many other diseases are excluded. The main pathological finding in NSIP i...