Tissue turnover of collagen type I, III and elastin is elevated in the PCLS model of IPF and can be restored back to vehicle levels using a phosphodiesterase inhibitor.

Background: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a model for pulmonary fibrosis, using ex vivo tissue cultures of lungs from bleomycin treated animals, enabling the investigation of fibrosis remodeling using novel biomarkers for the detection of ECM protein fragments. The combination of in vivo and ex vivo models together with ECM remodeling markers may provide a translational tool for screening of potential treatments for IPF.

Methods: Twenty female Sprague-Dawley rats, twelve weeks of age, were administrated either two doses of bleomycin (BLM) (n = 14) or saline (n = 6) I.

Type VIII collagen is elevated in diseases associated with angiogenesis and vascular remodeling.

Objectives: Type VIII collagen is involved in angiogenesis and remodeling of arteries. We hypothesized that type VIII collagen was upregulated in diseases associated with vascular remodeling, e.g.

Biological relevance of citrullinations: diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic options.

Objective: Citrullination has become a hot topic within recent years due to its involvement in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis and fibrosis. Citrullinations are the conversion of arginine to citrulline by peptidylarginine deiminase (PAD) enzymes, which affect protein properties. The aim of this review is to summarize the advances in citrullination research and further explore the potential of citrullination as a diagnostic tool as well as inhibition of PAD enzymes as a target for treatment.