RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fibrocytes in pulmonary fibrosis: a brief synopsis
JF European Respiratory Review
JO EUROPEAN RESPIRATORY REVIEW
FD European Respiratory Society
SP 552
OP 557
DO 10.1183/09059180.00007713
VO 22
IS 130
A1 Shyam Maharaj
A1 Chiko Shimbori
A1 Martin Kolb
YR 2013
UL http://err.ersjournals.com/content/22/130/552.abstract
AB Fibrocytes are bone marrow-derived, circulating mesenchymal progenitor cells that play a role in several fibrotic disorders, including lung fibrosis. They are attracted to injured tissue by various chemokines. It is likely that fibrocytes play a detrimental role in tissue homeostasis and promote fibrosis, although this paradigm needs further confirmation. This would make fibrocytes a possible novel treatment target for fibrotic disorders. Fibrocytes also have some potential as a biomarker for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other diseases, but the promising preliminary data from single centre studies still require independent validation. Despite several, as yet, unresolved issues, it has become clear that fibrocytes are more than an incidental finding in lung injury and repair, and may hold great promise for the future of IPF management.