Longitudinal micro-computed tomography-derived biomarkers quantify non-resolving lung fibrosis in a silicosis mouse model.

ABSTRACT: In spite of many compounds identified as antifibrotic in preclinical studies, pulmonary fibrosis remains a life-threatening condition for which highly effective treatment is still lacking. Towards improving the success-rate of bench-to-bedside translation, we investigated in vivo µCT-derived biomarkers to repeatedly quantify experimental silica-induced pulmonary fibrosis and assessed clinically relevant readouts up to several months after silicosis induction. Mice were oropharyngeally instilled with crystalline silica or saline and longitudinally monitored with respiratory-gated-high-resolution µCT to evaluate disease onset and progress using scan-derived biomarkers. At weeks 1, 5, 9 and 15, we assessed lung function, inflammation and fibrosis in subsets of mice in a cross-sectional manner

SUBMITTER: Dekoster K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7527558 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature