Combined therapy with pirfenidone and nintedanib counteracts fibrotic silicosis in mice

作者：Lu Bai, Jiaxin Wang, Jiaxin Wang, Xue Wang, Jixin Wang, Jixin Wang, Wei Zeng, Junling Pang, Tiantian Zhang, Shengxi Li, Meiyue Song, Yiwei Shi, Jing Wang, Jing Wang, Chen Wang · 发表于：British Journal of Pharmacology · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.1111/bph.17390 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Interstitial Lung Diseases and Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis、Occupational and environmental lung diseases、Pleural and Pulmonary Diseases

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Pneumoconiosis, especially silicosis, is a prevalent occupational disease with substantial global economic implications and lacks a definitive cure. Both pneumoconiosis and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are interstitial lung diseases, which share many common physiological characteristics. Because pirfenidone and nintedanib are approved to treat IPF, their potential efficacy as antifibrotic agents in advanced silicosis deserves further exploration. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the individual and combined effects of pirfenidone and nintedanib in treating advanced silicosis mice and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of their therapeutic actions via multiomics. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: We administered monotherapy or combined therapy of pirfenidone and nintedanib, with low and high doses, in silicosis established after 6 weeks and evaluated lung function, inflammatory responses and fibrotic status. Additionally, we employed transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses to uncover the mechanisms underlying different therapeutic strategies. KEY RESULTS: Both pirfenidone and nintedanib were effective in treating advanced silicosis, with superior outcomes observed in combination therapy. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that pirfenidone and nintedanib primarily exerted their therapeutic effects by modulating immune responses, signalling cascades and metabolic processes involving lipids, nucleotides and carbohydrates. Furthermore, we experimentally...