Fatty Acid Metabolism and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Jing Geng; Yuan Liu; Huaping Dai; Chen Wang

doi:10.3389/fphys.2021.794629

Fatty Acid Metabolism and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Front Physiol. 2022 Jan 14:12:794629. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.794629. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Jing Geng¹, Yuan Liu^{1

2}, Huaping Dai¹, Chen Wang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Center of Respiratory Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Diseases, Institute of Respiratory Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
² Graduate School of Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Abstract

Fatty acid metabolism, including the de novo synthesis, uptake, oxidation, and derivation of fatty acids, plays several important roles at cellular and organ levels. Recent studies have identified characteristic changes in fatty acid metabolism in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) lungs, which implicates its dysregulation in the pathogenesis of this disorder. Here, we review the evidence for how fatty acid metabolism contributes to the development of pulmonary fibrosis, focusing on the profibrotic processes associated with specific types of lung cells, including epithelial cells, macrophages, and fibroblasts. We also summarize the potential therapeutics that target this metabolic pathway in treating IPF.

Keywords: alveolar epithelial cell; fatty acid oxidation; fatty acid synthesis; idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; macrophage; myofibroblast.

Publication types

Review