The understanding of the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis continues to evolve. The initial
hypothetical model suggested chronic inflammation as the cause of pulmonary fibrosis,
whereas a subsequent hypothesis posited epithelial injury and impaired wound repair as
the etiology of fibrosis without preceding inflammation. Over the past decade, several
concepts have led to refinement of these hypotheses. These include the following:(1) the
importance of the integrity of the alveolar-capillary barrier basement membrane (BM) to …