C101 IPF: CLINICAL STUDIES, THERAPEUTICS, AND MORE II: The Persistence Of Pro-Inflammatory Alveolar Macrophage Activation In Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (ipf) Suggests A Damaging Role For Iron Accumulation

Introduction: Current concepts of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are that alveolar (ALV) epithelial injury leads to alternatively activated (M2) macrophages (MAC) recruitment, fibroblast proliferation and altered repair. Conclusion: The data show that the M1/M2 activation phenotype observed in BAL cells from IPF patients, can be induced in ALV MACS by iron loading thus suggesting a role of iron accumulation in the exaggerated ROS generation and, likely, the alveolar damage in IPF.