Regenerative Therapies in the Treatment of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Literature Review

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a disease that leads to respiratory failure and subsequent death. To prevent chronic lung diseases from rising further up the list of leading causes of death worldwide, new innovative therapeutic approaches are needed. This work aims to present a literature review on advances in regenerative therapies in the treatment of IPF. The bibliographic strategy of this research used papers published in last ten years taken from the electronic databases PubMed and Capes Periodical Portal, which include the current understanding of this pathology, and the different treatment modalities. The majority of selected articles were concentrated in the last three years of this review, corroborating the expectation of recent advancements given the current massive scientific research on IPF. This review focused on current treatments, their limitations and investigated cutting-edge research in regenerative therapies. The research resulted in the presentation of ongoing studies and therapies segregated between pharmacological manipulation and the use of stem cells. Both categories of treatment focus on restoring endogenous lung repair or targeting pathways that inhibit dysregulated regeneration. Genetic and epigenetic factors were constantly highlighted as extremely necessary for the diagnosis. Conclusively, given the heterogeneity of this pathology, the authors propose, for the next general IPF treatment protocol, the inclusion of a combination of therapies, accentuating the pro and post-installed disease components. Encouraging the established of specialized health centers is also part of the findings of this research. They promote close cooperation between pulmonologists, radiologists, biomedical geneticists, pathologists, among others.