Cm. Hogaboam et al., DYNAMIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN LUNG FIBROBLASTS AND LEUKOCYTES - IMPLICATIONS FOR FIBROTIC LUNG-DISEASE, Proceedings of the Association of American Physicians, 110(4), 1998, pp. 313-320
Citations number
57
Categorie Soggetti
Medicine, General & Internal","Medicine, Research & Experimental
The pulmonary fibroblast within the interstitial space of the :lung ha
s assumed a vastly expanded role over the last 15 years. While this ce
ll is still understood to supply important structural and support prot
eins to its environment, the fibroblast is now also viewed as an activ
e participant in immune and inflammatory processes within the lung. Th
is novel role for the lung fibroblast is facilitated through a number
of mechanisms, including de novo expression of contractile smooth-musc
le actin, adhesion molecules, and chemotactic cytokines or chemokines.
Through these and possibly other processes, the lung fibroblast is ab
le to interface uniquely with resident and infiltrating immune cells,
such as macrophages and monocytes, T cells, mast cells, and eosinophil
s. While the precise contributions of these cell-to-cell interactions
to the initiation and maintenance of diseases in the lung are unknown,
modulation of these cellular events may provide an effective treatmen
t option in many clinical pulmonary diseases.