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Updated: May 24, 2026
Adoptive Transfer of IL-33-Stimulated Macrophages into Bleomycin-Induced Mouse Models to Study Their Effect on Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis In Vivo
Published on: May 5, 2023
[Effects of interleukin-17 on murine pulmonary fibroblast proliferation, transformation and collagen synthesis]
Zhaoxing Dong1, Qingxin Kang, Wen Lei
1Department of Respiratory, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, China. dongkm@hotmail.com
Objective:
To investigate the effects of interleukin-17 (IL-17) on the proliferation, transformation and collagen synthesis of the lung fibroblasts in mice with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
Methods:
In a mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis established by intratracheal administration of 5 mg/kg bleomycin, the dynamic expressions of IL-17/IL-17 receptor (IL-17R) mRNAs were detected by RT-PCR. At 14 days following bleomycin administration, the pulmonary fibroblasts were isolated, cultured and identified. MTT assay was used to assess the proliferation of the pulmonary fibroblasts in response to IL-17 treatment at different concentrations, and RT-PCR and Western blotting were employed to examine the mRNA and protein expressions of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and types I and III collagen.
Results:
IL-17/IL-17R mRNA levels were increased obviously in the pulmonary fibroblasts of rats with pulmonary fibrosis, and the highest expressions occurred at 14 days following bleomycin administration. Exogenous IL-17, at the optimal concentration of 50 ng/ml, significantly promoted the proliferation of the pulmonary fibroblasts in primary culture and obviously increased α-SMA expression and types I and III collagen synthesis in the fibroblasts.
Conclusion:
IL-17 can promote the proliferation, transformation, and collagen synthesis of the pulmonary fibroblasts from rats with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.
