Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39375691›Full record

ArticleJournal of translational medicine2024

Albendazole ameliorates aerobic glycolysis in myofibroblasts to reverse pulmonary fibrosis.

Chenxi Zeng, Huihui Yue, Congjian Wang, Xuetao Ju, Tianlai Wang, Xiangning Fu, Qing Zhou, Huilan Zhang, Long He, Jun Yu and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of translational medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Kynurenine-AhR-SLC39A10-ZnCell communication and signaling : CCS · 2026
    Article
  3. Review
  4. Altered Metabolism in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.Journal of cellular physiology · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Chenxi Zeng *Department of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7189-8637
Huihui Yue *Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
Congjian WangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xuetao JuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Tianlai WangDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Xiangning FuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China.
Qing ZhouDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
Huilan ZhangDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China.
Long HeDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, School of Medicine, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University, Shanghai, China. helong@tongji.edu.cn.
Jun YuDepartment of Thoracic Surgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 1095 Jiefang Ave, Wuhan, 430030, China. junyu2018@hotmail.com.
Yi WangDepartment of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, NHC Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College and State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, Hubei, China. wangyi@tjh.tjmu.edu.cn.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China 81900063National Natural Science Foundation of China 82170078
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and lethal lung disorder for which effective treatments remain limited. Recent investigations revealed a potential link between altered glucose metabolism and the activation of fibroblasts, the key cells responsible for generating and depositing extracellular matrix proteins within the lung interstitium during IPF development.

methodIn this study, we aimed to investigate the potential therapeutic impact of albendazole on fibroblast to myofibroblast transition in IPF. We assess albendazole's effectiveness in attenuating the activation of fibroblasts. We focused on elucidating the mechanism underlying albendazole's impact on TGF-β1-induced aerobic glycolysis in both lung tissues and fibroblasts obtained from patients with IPF and other lung fibrosis types. Furthermore, the antifibrotic effects of oral administration of albendazole were investigated in mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis induced by BLM or SiO2. Human precision-cut lung slices were employed to evaluate the impact of albendazole following TGF-β1 stimulation.

resultIn this work, we demonstrated that albendazole, a first-line broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug, effectively attenuated fibroblast to myofibroblast transition through alleviating TGF-β1-induced aerobic glycolysis dependent on the LRRN3/PFKFB3 signaling pathway. Additionally, LRRN3 expression was downregulated in both lung tissues and fibroblasts from patients with IPF and other types of lung fibrosis. Importantly, the levels of LRRN3 correlated with the progression of the disease. Notably, oral administration of albendazole exerted potent antifibrotic effects in mouse models of pulmonary fibrosis induced by BLM or SiO2, and in human precision-cut lung slices after TGF-β1 stimulation, as evidenced by improvements in lung morphology, reduced myofibroblast formation, and downregulation of α-SMA, collagen type 1 and Fibronectin expression in the lungs.

conclusionOur study implies that albendazole can act as a potent agonist of LRRN3 during fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation and its oral administration shows potential as a viable therapeutic approach for managing IPF.

Indexed as

AlbendazoleGlycolysisMyofibroblastsPulmonary FibrosisTransforming Growth Factor beta1AnimalsBleomycinDisease Models, AnimalFemaleHumansLungMaleMiceMice, Inbred C57BLSignal TransductionAlbendazoleBleomycinTransforming Growth Factor beta1Aerobic glycolysisAlbendazoleFibroblastIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosisMyofibroblast

Identifiers

PMID39375691
PMCPMC11459805

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.