“…IPF is characterized by the destruction of alveolar architecture and excessive deposition of ECM proteins. , Reversing tissue remodeling and functional decline caused by ECM deposition is an important therapeutic strategy in fibrotic diseases . Notably, while ECM degradation is beneficial to patients, it also generates bioactive ECM fragments called matricryptins, which interact with cell surface receptors and regulate inflammatory, fibrogenic, and reparative cascades. , Elastin, a key component of the ECM, can be degraded by elastases to generate elastin-derived peptides (EDPs). − These bioactive peptides exhibit a wide range of biological activities in various pathophysiological processes, including cell proliferation, protease gene expression, fibrotic diseases, as well as vascular and metabolic diseases. − When bound to the elastin-binding protein (EBP) subunit of the elastin receptor complex (ERC), EDPs initiate a new fibrotic cycle. − The ERC consists of EBP, protective protein/cathepsin A (PPCA), and neuraminidase-1 (NEU-1), playing a fundamental role in signaling transduction.…”