Epithelial Injury is a Critical Factor in the Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis Following Multiple Episodes of Inflammation

Sustained elevation of NF‐κB DNA binding activity in radiation‐induced lung damage in rats

“…Features of radiation-induced fibrotic processes are insufficient repair of cellular damage, excessive proliferation of mesenchymal cells together with increased deposition of extracellular matrix components (Adamson et al 1988, Crouch 1990 and radiation-induced differentiation of fibroblasts (Rodemann et al 1991, Lara et al 1996. The most vulnerable lung cells after radiation-induced injury are epithelial (Frank 1991, Hyde et al 1991) and endothelial cells (Adamson and Bowden 1983), which are insufficiently repaired after radiation-induced damage. Several 'pro-fibrotic' growth factors have been identified including tumour necrosis factor a (TNFa), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), interleukin 1 (IL-1) as well as members of the transforming growth factor (TGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) families (Kovacs 1991, Kovacs andDiPietro 1994).…”