SB203580-A Potent p38 MAPK Inhibitor Reduces the Profibrotic Bronchial Fibroblasts Transition Associated with Asthma.

Subepithelial fibrosis is a component of the remodeling observed in the bronchial wall of patients diagnosed with asthma. In this process, human bronchial fibroblasts (HBFs) drive the fibroblast-to-myofibroblast transition (FMT) in response to transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), which activates the canonical Smad-dependent signaling. However, the pleiotropic properties of TGF-β also promote the activation of non-canonical signaling pathways which can affect the FMT.