Magdalena Kegel,  —

Researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina found that M10, a naturally occurring small peptide, appeared to effectively reduce lung fibrosis in a mouse model of systemic sclerosis, a finding that might lead the way to new treatments for lung fibrosis. Systemic sclerosis can be viewed as the archetypal fibrotic disease,…

Researchers discovered that mice exposed to bleomycin — a common pulmonary fibrosis model — displayed more intense fibrotic activity if they lacked the signaling factor PTEN. The findings suggest that exploring the signaling pathway involving PTEN might offer new insights into disease mechanisms, and aid the search for new treatment…

Nintedanib (marketed as OFEV by Boehringer Ingelheim) has shown very good results in clinical trials in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Nevertheless, some patients still experience disease exacerbation when treated with the drug. A case study described the successful reinstallation of the drug after an exacerbation — raising hopes…

Men have higher rates of pulmonary fibrosis than women and tend to have a poorer survival. A study showed that mice exposed to silica, a known lung fibrosis trigger, have some sex-specific differences in their expression of the fibrotic factor SPP1, indicating that female sex hormones might alter molecular characteristics…

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is already known to protect against fibrosis in heart tissue. Researchers from the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center, Japan, have now shown that CNP can also improve lung fibrosis in a mouse model by preventing the formation of myofibroblasts. Given the importance of fibroblast cells in the…

Clinicians managing people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are left with few options once the disease seriously progresses despite pirfenidone treatment. Now, a study shows that continuing treatment is the best way to move forward, as it is likely to prevent an even greater decline in lung function and keep death at bay. The…

A study from the University of Madras, India, showed that celastrol — a component of an extract from the Thunder God Vine root — was able to reduce inflammation, collagen deposition, and alveolar damage in a rat model of pulmonary fibrosis (PF). The effects were likely the result of a broad activation of…

A Mayo Clinic study reported that patients with fibrotic interstitial lung disease are at a threefold higher risk of substantial morbidity when hospitalized for acute lung exacerbations, whether or not they have idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). While the frequency and outcomes of acute respiratory exacerbations in IPF patients are rather well-documented, corresponding…

Genetic factors might drive at least part of the risk for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), particularly in familial forms of the disease, and a review from the Nanjing University School of Medicine, China, presented an updated view of genetic risk factors for IPF. The article, “Candidate genes of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis:…

A case study of a pulmonary fibrosis patient who was ultimately diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and a telomere length disorder, highlighted the need to consider whether short telomere syndrome is present in people with lung fibrosis and cirrhotic liver. The findings were published in the journal QJM: An International Journal…