title: Bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis is attenuated by a monoclonal antibody targeting HER2.
abstract: The importance of HER2/HER3 signaling in decreasing the effects of lung injury was recently demonstrated. Transgenic mice unable to signal through HER2/HER3 had significantly less bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis and showed a survival benefit. Based on these data, we hypothesized that pharmacological blockade of HER2/HER3 in vivo in wild-type mice would have the same beneficial effects. We tested this hypothesis in a bleomycin lung injury model using 2C4, a monoclonal antibody directed against HER2 that blocks HER2/HER3 signaling. The administration of 2C4 before injury decreased the effects of bleomycin at days 15 and 21 after injury. HER2/HER3 blockade resulted in less collagen deposition (362.8 +/- 37.9 compared with 610.5 +/- 27.1 microg/mg; P = 0.03) and less lung morphological changes (injury score of 1.99 +/- 1.55 vs. 3.90 +/- 0.76; P < 0.04). In addition, HER2/HER3 blockade resulted in a significant survival advantage with 50% vs. 25% survival at 30 days (P = 0.04). These results confirm that HER2 signaling can be pharmacologically targeted to reduce lung fibrosis and remodeling after injury.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA. jihanefares@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jihane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Faress
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Nethery
authors.forename: Elizabeth F O
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Kern
authors.forename: Rosana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: Frank J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Jacono
authors.forename: Chris L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: Jeffrey A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Kern
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001761:Bleomycin; D003094:Collagen / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D001761:Bleomycin; D003094:Collagen; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D020893:Receptor, ErbB-3; C481039:2C4 antibody; C524056:Erbb2 protein, mouse