TY - JOUR T1 - Epithelial mesenchymal transition in fibroblastic foci of different fibrosing lung diseases: Repair or remodeling? JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 42 IS - Suppl 57 SP - 3520 AU - Alexandre Todorovic Fabro AU - Iris Halbwedl AU - Edwin Roger Parras Cuentas AU - Vera Luiza Capelozzi AU - Helmut Popper Y1 - 2013/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/42/Suppl_57/3520.abstract N2 - Fibroblastic foci (FF), a feature of usual interstitial pneumonia (UIP), are also found in smoking related interstitial fibrosis (SRIF). Recently studies suggested epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) during formation of FF. To investigate the EMT in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF-UIP), non-IPF-UIP and SRIF on immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and confocal microscopy using quantitative methods, 19 patients with IPF, 17 with non-IPF, and 16 with SRIF who underwent lung biopsy and lobectomy were included. Epithelial marker was detected in 0.65% of the cells within FF in IPF, contrasting with 3.65% of cells in SRIF and 10.93% cells in non-IPF (p<0.01). The cells expressing mesenchymal marker within FF was present in 58.60% in IPF, 83.90 % in SRIF (p<0.01) and 81.86% in non-IPF (p<0.01). Epithelial marker was expressed by 66,5% of the hyperplastic epithelioid cells overlying FF from IPF, whereas only 1.91% of the cells expressed mesenchymal marker. Epithelial and mesenchymal markers were expressed respectively by 88.7% and 6.4% of the hyperplastic epithelioid cells overlying FF in SRIF; this difference was different from IPF (p<0.01 and p=0.003, respectively). 85% of hyperplastic epithelioid cells in non-IPF expressed epithelial marker whereas mesenchymal marker was expressed by 3.37% of the cells; when compared to IPF (p<0.01). Co-expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers by epithelioid cells overlying FF was detected in 1.82% of cells in IPF, 8.46% of cells in SRIF and 6.87% of cells in non-IPF (p<0.01).These findings suggest that EMT may be more a repair process in SRIF and non-IPF than a remodeling irreversible and progressive fibrosis in IPF. ER -