The effect of interferon-γ on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats

Objective To investigate the effect of interferon-γ(IFN-γ) on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats.Methods 80 male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups:normal control group,model control group,hydrocortisone treated group and IFN-γ treated group.The rats were killed on the 3,7,14 and 28th day after treatment.The concentration of IFN-γ and transforming growth factor β_1(TGF-β_1)in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) and the content of hydroxyproline of lung tissue were detected,while the severity of alveolitis and fibrosis were measured.Results The concentration of IFN-γ in BALF in IFN-γ treated group was higher than that in model control group on the 3,7,14 and 28th day,respectively.The concentration of(TGF-β_1) in BALF was higher than that in model control group on the 3th day.The severity of alveolitis and fibrosis and the content of hydroxyproline of lung tissue in IFN-γ treated group were similar with that in model control group.Conclusion Early intervention with IFN-γ could not inhibit the secretion of of TGF-β_1 and hydroxyproline and prevent the development of alveolitis and fibrosis of lungs in bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis rats.