Bone morphogenetic protein 7 alleviates paraquat-induced pulmonary fibrosis via TGF-β1/Erk1/2 pathway

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP-7) recently demonstrates an anti-fibrotic effect. To evaluate the role of BMP-7 in paraquat (PQ)-induced pulmonary fibrosis, PQ-exposed mice and lung fibroblasts (MRC-5) were treated with BMP-7. Our results showed that BMP-7 treatment could significantly reduce PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis, accompanied by downregulation of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and collagen I deposition in mouse lungs. Moreover, PQ-induced inviability, apoptosis, high level of collagen I, as well as phosphorylation of Erk1/2, in MRC-5 cells were significantly inhibited by BMP-7 treatment. These findings indicate BMP-7 alleviates PQ-induced pulmonary fibrosis partly via TGF-β1/Erk1/2 pathway, suggesting a promising therapeutic means for PQ-induced fibrotic lung injury.