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Published online before print October 25, 2007

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© by The Society for Leukocyte Biology
Journal of Leukocyte Biology, doi:10.1189/jlb.0707504

Received for publication July 29, 2007.
Revised September 21, 2007.
Accepted for publication October 5, 2007.

Article

Roles of T lymphocytes in pulmonary fibrosis

University of Maryland School of Medicine and Baltimore VA Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

^@ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: satamas{at}umaryland.edu.

	Abstract

Infiltration of T lymphocytes in the lungs is common in patients with and in animal models of pulmonary fibrosis. The role of these cells in regulating the accumulation of extracellular matrix, particularly collagen, is not understood completely. Research literature provides evidence for a profibrotic, an antifibrotic, or no significant role of T lymphocytes in pulmonary fibrosis. This review offers a discussion of such evidence with the focus on phenotypes of pulmonary T lymphocytes and related profibrotic and antifibrotic mechanisms. It appears unlikely that T lymphocytic infiltration per se is the central driving force in most cases of pulmonary fibrosis. Instead, evidence suggests that T lymphocytes may modulate the inflammatory and healing responses in the lungs in a profibrotic or antifibrotic manner, depending on their phenotype. Phenotypic reshaping, rather than elimination of the infiltrating pulmonary T lymphocytes, may be a promising approach to improving outcomes in patients with pulmonary fibrosis.

Key Words: lung • collagen • inflammation

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