Collagen deposition in lung parenchyma driven by depletion of interstitial Lyve-1 macrophages prevents cigarette smoke-induced emphysema and loss of airway function.

Introduction: Collagen is essential for maintaining lung structure and function and its remodeling has been associated with respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the cellular mechanisms driving collagen remodeling and the functional implications of this process in the pathophysiology of pulmonary diseases remain poorly understood.

Methods: To address this question, we employed ; mice with specific depletion of Lyve-1 macrophages and assessed the content, types and organization of collagen in lung compartments at steady state and after chronic exposure to cigarette smoke (CS).