| abstract |
In the present invention, the inventors have studied in a fibrotic ILD / IPF mechanism, the role of an Arp2 / 3 multiprotein complex which regulates the branched polymerization of the actin cytoskeleton, and can play key roles in mechanotransduction. The inventors have demonstrated that the expression of the Arp2 / 3 complex is increased in the mesenchymal cells of the lung at IPF and in the lungs of the mouse during the fibrogenesis, and that the inhibition of the Arp2 / 3 complex with the small molecule CK666 blocks the expression of collagen in the lungs and prevents the development of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Accordingly, the present invention relates to an inhibitor of the activity or expression of the Arp2 / 3 complex for use in a method of treating fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILD) such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a subject in need. |