Inhibition of Rho GEFs attenuates pulmonary fibrosis through suppressing myofibroblast activation and reprogramming profibrotic macrophages.

ABSTRACT: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis has a poor prognosis, with existing medications only partially alleviating symptoms, highlighting the urgent need for new therapeutic approaches. The dysregulations of Rho GTPases/ROCK are related with various diseases, including fibrosis. Nevertheless, the development of drugs for pulmonary fibrosis treatment has predominantly concentrated on ROCK inhibitors. Small GTPases have been historically recognized as "undruggable". Here, we explore a novel Rho GEFs inhibitor GL-V9, and find that GL-V9 alleviates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice by inhibiting myofibroblast activation and reprogramming profibrotic macrophages. Distinct from the mechanisms of the first-line drug Nintedanib, GL-V9 binds to the DH/PH domain of Rho GEFs and block the activation

SUBMITTER: Luo C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11992128 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature