Small-molecule-mediated OGG1 inhibition attenuates pulmonary inflammation and lung fibrosis

Abstract

Interstitial lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) are caused by persistent micro-injuries to alveolar epithelial tissues together with aberrant repair processes. Despite substantial advancement in our understanding of IPF progression, numerous questions remain concerning disease pathology. IPF is currently treated with pirfenidone and nintedanib, compounds which slow the rate of disease progression but fail to treat underlying causes of disease. The DNA repair enzyme 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase-1 (OGG1) is upregulated following TGF-{beta} exposure in several fibrosis-associated cell types. Currently, no pharmaceutical solutions targeting OGG1 have been utilized in the treatment of IPF. In this study, a novel small molecule OGG1 inhibitor, TH5487, decreased myofibroblast transition and associated pro-fibrotic markers in fibroblast cells. In addition, TH5487 decreased pro-inflammatory cytokine production, inflammatory cell infiltration, and lung remodeling in a murine model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. Taken together, these data strongly suggest that TH5487 is a potent, specific, and clinically-relevant treatment for IPF.