title: Pulmonary Macrophages: A New Therapeutic Pathway in Fibrosing Lung Disease?
abstract: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a growing clinical problem which can result in breathlessness or respiratory failure and has an average life expectancy of 3 years from diagnosis. Therapeutic options for PF are limited and there is therefore a significant unmet clinical need. The recent resurgent interest in macrophage biology has led to a new understanding of lung macrophage origins, biology, and phenotypes. In this review we discuss fibrotic mechanisms and focus on the role of macrophages during fibrotic lung disease. Data from both human and murine studies are reviewed, highlighting novel macrophage-orientated biomarkers for disease diagnosis and potential targets for future anti-fibrotic therapies.
authors.affiliation: Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK. Electronic address: abyrne@imperial.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Adam J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Byrne
authors.affiliation: Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London SW3 6NP, UK.
authors.forename: Toby M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Maher
authors.affiliation: Inflammation, Repair and Development Section, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Clare M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Lloyd
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D064987:Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000378:metabolism; D008262:Macrophage Activation / Q000276:immunology; D016676:Macrophages, Alveolar / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010641:Phenotype; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D016207:Cytokines; D018836:Inflammation Mediators
keywords: clinical trials; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; innate immunity; pathogenesis; personalized medicine