Metabolomic Biomarkers Evaluation in Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) are a heterogeneous group of interstitial lung diseases who may have a progressive phenotype often associated with loss of lung function, chronic respiratory symptoms, quality of life limitation as well significant morbidity and mortality. The identification of reliable biomarkers able to help in early diagnosis and predict disease progression are crucial for improving patient life. Although many biomarkers have been proposed, there is no consensus on reliable markers for IPF. Alterations in fatty acid (FA) metabolism have drawn increasing attention in the IPF pathogenesis, but there is no consensus on the specific FA changes. Alterations in FA composition have been shown to promote pro-fibrotic traits in epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and myofibroblasts. However, while specific fatty acid (FA) alterations have been identified in the serum of IPF patients, no consensus exists on the exact changes for individual FAs