The migration and proliferation of fibroblasts may be important in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis.
Considerable data are available on the proliferation of fibroblasts, but very few on their migration.
Methods – The migratory activity of fibroblasts obtained from lung biopsy specimens from 11 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) was studied using a 96-well chemotaxis chamber.
Fibroblasts from eight normal controls, seven patients with interstitial fibrosis associated with a collagen vascular disease (IP-CVD), and 13 patients with sarcoidosis were also examined. Migratory
activity was tested in a serum-free medium in the presence and absence of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF), 30 ng/mL, as a chemoattractant.
http://thorax.highwire.org/content/50/9/984.abstract