The pathogenesis of bleomycin-induced lung injury in animals and its applicability to human idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

• Published in: Experimental lung research Vol. 41; no. 2; pp. 57 - 73
• Main Authors: Williamson, James D., Sadofsky, Laura R., Hart, Simon P.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Informa Healthcare 01-03-2015
• Subjects: Animals; bleomycin; Bleomycin - pharmacology; Cytokines - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - metabolism; Epithelial Cells - pathology; Fibroblasts - metabolism; Fibroblasts - pathology; Humans; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - metabolism; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - pathology; Inflammation - metabolism; Inflammation - pathology; intratracheal; Lung Injury - chemically induced; Lung Injury - metabolism; Lung Injury - pathology; rodent modeling; intratracheal; bleomycin; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; rodent modeling
• ISSN: 0190-2148; 1521-0499
• DOI: 10.3109/01902148.2014.979516

ABSTRACTIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating disease of unknown etiology, for which there is no curative pharmacological therapy. Bleomycin, an anti-neoplastic agent that causes lung fibrosis in human patients has been used extensively in rodent models to mimic IPF. In this review, we compare the pathogenesis and histological features of human IPF and bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis (BPF) induced in rodents by intratracheal delivery. We discuss the current understanding of IPF and BPF disease development, from the contribution of alveolar epithelial cells and inflammation to the role of fibroblasts and cytokines, and draw conclusions about what we have learned from the intratracheal bleomycin model of lung fibrosis.