Reproducible lung protective effects of a TGFβR1/ALK5 inhibitor in a bleomycin‐induced and spirometry‐confirmed model of IPF in male mice

This study comprehensively validated the bleomycin (BLEO) induced mouse model of IPF for utility in preclinical drug discovery. To this end, the model was rigorously evaluated for reproducible phenotype and TGFβ‐directed treatment outcomes. Lung disease was profiled longitudinally in male C57BL6/JRJ mice receiving a single intratracheal instillation of BLEO (n = 10–12 per group). A TGFβR1/ALK5 inhibitor (ALK5i) was profiled in six independent studies in BLEO‐IPF mice, randomized/stratified to treatment according to baseline body weight and non‐invasive whole‐body plethysmography. ALK5i (60 mg/kg/day) or vehicle (n = 10–16 per study) was administered orally for 21 days, starting 7 days after intratracheal BLEO installation. BLEO‐IPF mice recapitulated functional, histological and biochemical hallmarks of IPF, including declining expiratory/inspiratory capacity and inflammatory and fibrotic lung injury accompanied by markedly elevated TGFβ levels in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and lung tissue. Pulmonary transcriptome signatures of inflammation and fibrosis in BLEO‐IPF mice were comparable to reported data in IPF patients. ALK5i promoted reproducible and robust therapeutic outcomes on lung functional, biochemical and histological endpoints in BLEO‐IPF mice. The robust lung fibrotic disease phenotype, along with the consistent and reproducible lung protective effects of ALK5i treatment, makes the spirometry‐confirmed BLEO‐IPF mouse model highly applicable for profiling novel drug candidates for IPF.