Unraveling the Mechanical Microenvironment in Pulmonary Fibrosis: From Pathogenesis to Targeted Therapy
Source abstract
Abstract
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic, progressive, and fatal disease characterized by lung tissue destruction and scar formation, with conventional treatments unable to halt its progression. This study examines the mechanical microenvironment in PF, emphasizing its role in pathogenesis, including altered matrix stiffness, disrupted mechanical signal transduction via mechanosensitive ion channels (e.g., Piezo1, TRPV4) and pathways (e.g., YAP/TAZ, TGF-β/Smad), and its relevance to biomaterial design and precision-targeted therapy. This study highlights biomaterials such as photoresponsive hydrogels with tunable stiffness and RGD-modified peptide hydrogels that modulate cell–extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions, along with targeted therapies including ion channel inhibitors and pathway antagonists. Collectively, these insights lay the groundwork for mechanics-based treatments and functional biomaterials, advancing precision regenerative medicine for PF.
Source: openalex_inverted_index · Quality: baseline
Research context
OpenAlex topics: Cellular Mechanics and Interactions · Inhalation and Respiratory Drug Delivery · Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
Affiliations
Ningbo Key Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging Probe Materials and Technology, CAS Key Laboratory of Magnetic Materials and Devices, Laboratory of Advanced Theranostic Materials and Technology
Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhejiang International Cooperation Base of Biomedical Materials Technology and Application, Zhejiang Engineering Research Center for Biomedical Materials
Ningbo Cixi Institute of Biomedical Engineering
Funding
Natural Science Foundation of Ningbo Municipality · National Key Research and Development Program of China · National Natural Science Foundation of China · Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province
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