Biochemical and cellular mechanisms of pulmonary fibrosis

This review summarizes the manner in which a variety of agents may induce fibrogenic reactions in the lung. The extent of reaction is dependent on dose, time scale of exposure, and chemical reactivity. The regime of multiple dosing with chemicals or gases with recovery periods is important in disease progression. The means by which biochemists and histopathologists assess fibrosis, the advantages and disadvantages of each of the methods as related to subjectivity, quantitation, and speed of analysis are compared. The mechanisms which control the step from fibrogenesis (a potentially reversible reaction) to fibrosis (irreversible) may be linked to the maturation of collagen, calcification, or the formation of cross-linked protein masses. Attention is given to hydroxylysine cross-links in newly formed "fibrotic" collagen but focusses on gamma-glutamyl-epsilon-lysyl cross-links formed by calcium-dependent transglutaminases. It is suggested that these enzymes, released by replacement epithelial cells, could be responsible for the formation of stabilized protein masses in the lung, thus contributing to a progressive fibrosis.