Matsuse T
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo.
Nihon Kokyuki Gakkai Zasshi. 1998 May;36(5):413-20.
Growth factors are known not only to cause a mitogenic response and alter differentiated characteristics of the target cells, but also to play important roles in intercellular signaling. Many growth factors are expressed in the embryonic and regulate embryogenesis. Pulmonary fibrosis is characterized by a complex process involving chronic inflammatory reaction, fibroblast proliferation, and abnormal deposition of interstitial collagen as a result of excess healing reaction. In the early phases, TNF-alpha, IL-beta and GM-CSF secreted by alveolar macrophages regulate and enhance pulmonary inflammation. On the contrary, TGF-alpha, KGF and HGF have been reported to enhance repair of alveolar epithelium and vascular endothelium in the injured lung. Furthermore, growth factors produced by alveolar macrophages and epithelium, such as PDGF, TGF-beta and activin A and belongs to the TGF-beta supergene family are known to play cardinal roles in fibroblast proliferation and pulmonary fibrosis. Further works concerning this complex growth factors (cytokines) network are required to provide a basis of the pathophysiology of pulmonary fibrosis.
生长因子不仅已知可引起有丝分裂反应并改变靶细胞的分化特征，还在细胞间信号传导中发挥重要作用。许多生长因子在胚胎期表达并调节胚胎发育。肺纤维化的特征是一个复杂的过程，涉及慢性炎症反应、成纤维细胞增殖以及由于过度愈合反应导致的间质胶原异常沉积。在早期阶段，肺泡巨噬细胞分泌的肿瘤坏死因子-α、白细胞介素-β和粒细胞巨噬细胞集落刺激因子调节并增强肺部炎症。相反，据报道转化生长因子-α、角质形成细胞生长因子和肝细胞生长因子可增强受损肺中肺泡上皮和血管内皮的修复。此外，肺泡巨噬细胞和上皮细胞产生的生长因子，如血小板衍生生长因子、转化生长因子-β和激活素A，它们属于转化生长因子-β超基因家族，已知在成纤维细胞增殖和肺纤维化中起主要作用。需要进一步研究这个复杂的生长因子（细胞因子）网络，为肺纤维化的病理生理学提供依据。
