Chest
Volume 108, Issue 3, September 1995, Pages 848-855
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Impact of Basic Research on Tomorrow's Medicine
Potential Therapeutic Initiatives for Fibrogenic Lung Diseases

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Fibrotic process affecting the lung and other tissues is characterized by stimulation of fibroblast proliferation and connective tissue deposition. Conventional therapy consisting of glucocorticoids or cytotoxic agents is usually ineffective in blocking progression of disease. Potential new therapies have emerged from the use of animal models of pulmonary fibrosis and recent advances in the cellular and molecular biology of inflammatory reactions. Such therapies involve the use of substances directed against the action of certain growth factors, cytokines, or oxidants that are elaborated during the fibrotic reaction. In this article, we review possible therapeutic applications of these advances.

Key words

antioxidants
growth factors
pulmonary fibrosis
type I collagen

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Supported by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute grant P01HL-46902 and the Veterans Administration Merit Review Research Program. Dr. Fine is the recipient of the Dalsemer Research Scholar Award from the American Lung Association.