• Department of Respiratory Medicine, Guangzhou General Hospital of GuangzhouMilitary Command. Guangzhou, Guangdong,510010, ChinaCorresponding Author: LI Li, E-mail: lili_china@ 163. com;
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Objective  To evaluate the effects of two different epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors ( EGFR-TKIs) , Gefitinib and Erlotinib, on lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin.Methods  Forty BALB/c female mice were randomly divided into four groups, ie. a control group( saline given orally and intratracheally) , a fibrosis group( saline given orally with bleomycin instillation) , a Gefitnib group( Gefitnib 20 mg/kg given orally with bleomycin instillation) , and an Erlotinib group ( Erlotinib
25 mg/kg given orally with bleomycin instillation) . Bleomycin ( 3 mg/kg) was intratracheally instilled on the first day. Gefitinib or Erlotinib was given orally daily and normal saline as control. Then they were sacrificed by abdominal aortic bleeding 14 days after the bleomycin instillation. The left lung was stained with HE and Masson’s trichrome staining respectively for pathological examination. Total EGFR and phosphorylated EGFR were detected by immunohistochemistry. Hydroxyproline ( HYP) assay was performed in the right lung.Results  Both Gefitinib and Erlotinib significantly reduced lung collagen accumulation and the content of HYP. Immunohistochemistry revealed that phosphorylation of EGFR in lung mesenchymal cells induced by bleomycin was inhibited. Furthermore, there was no difference between Gefitinib and Erlotinib in inhibiting lung fibrosis. Conclusion  Our findings suggest that, in the preclinical setting, EGFR-TKIs may have a
protective effect on lung fibrosis induced by bleomycin.

Citation: LI Weifeng,LI Li,YUAN Weifeng,XU Hong,HUANG Wenjie.. Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Prevent Bleomycin-Induced Lung Fibrosis in Mice. Chinese Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 2010, 9(4): 426-429. doi: Copy