Internal medicine

Pathology

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Fibrosis

SMAD

Biology

Transforming growth factor

Immunology

Lung

Pirfenidone

MAPK/ERK pathway

Signal transduction

Pulmonary fibrosis

Lung transplantation

Cell biology

Cancer research

Medicine

International Journal of Molecular Medicine

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a worldwide disease characterized by the chronic and irreversible decline of lung function. Currently, there is no drug to successfully treat the disease except for lung transplantation. Numerous studies have been devoted to the study of the fibrotic process of IPF and findings showed that transforming growth factor‑β1 (TGF‑β1) plays a central role in the development of IPF. TGF‑β1 promotes the fibrotic process of IPF through various signaling pathways, including the Smad, MAPK, and ERK signaling pathways. There are intersections between these signaling pathways, which provide new targets for researchers to study new drugs. In addition, TGF‑β1 can affect the fibrosis process of IPF by affecting oxidative stress, epigenetics and other aspects. Most of the processes involved in TGF‑β1 promote IPF, but TGF‑β1 can also inhibit it. This review discusses the role of TGF‑β1 in IPF.

TGF‑β1: Gentlemanly orchestrator in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (Review)