A review of current studies on cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying pulmonary fibrosis induced by chemicals

Several studies showed that the inflammatory and fibrotic responses induced by polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG-p) were similar to those observed for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in South Korea in 2011. "Omic" technologies can be used to understand the mechanisms underlying chemical-induced diseases. Studies to determine the toxicity of chemicals may facilitate understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of pulmonary fibrosis at a molecular level; thus, such studies may provide information about the toxic characteristics of various substances. In this review, we have outlined the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and described pulmonary fibrosis induced by various chemicals, including bleomycin, paraquat, and PHMG-p, based on the results of studies performed to date.