Research of transforming growth factor-β1 and crosstalk of its signal pathways in pulmonary fibrosis

The central link in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis is the epithelial mesenchymal transition and the proliferation and activation of myofibroblast.And the essence is extracellular matrix synthesis more than degradation.Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) not only promotes transformation of epithelial cells and endothelial cells into myofibroblast, but also promotes proliferation and activation of myofibroblast.Moreover, it still affects the deposition and degradation of extracellular matrix.Thus it plays an important role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis.This article illustrates the relationship between TGF-β1 and pulmonary fibrosis through the signal pathways of TGF-β1 and their crosstalk. Key words: Pulmonary fibrosis; Transforming growth factor-β1; Signal pathway