Folate and macrophage folate receptor-β in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis disease: the potential therapeutic target?

• Published in: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy Vol. 131; p. 110711
• Main Authors: Qu, Yaqian, Hao, Changfu, Zhai, Ruonan, Yao, Wu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: France Elsevier Masson SAS 01.11.2020; Elsevier
• Subjects: Cell Polarity; Folate; Folate receptor; Folate Receptor 2 - antagonists & inhibitors; Folate Receptor 2 - chemistry; Folate Receptor 2 - physiology; Folic Acid - physiology; Humans; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - diagnosis; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - drug therapy; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - etiology; IPF; Macrophage; Macrophages - physiology; Toll-Like Receptor 4 - physiology; Folate receptor; IPF; Folate; Macrophage
• ISSN: 0753-3322; 1950-6007
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2020.110711

[Display omitted] •Folate may participate in the pathophysiology of IPF through DNA repair, DNA methylation and ROS pathways.•Macrophages activation is a typical feature of IPF.•FR-β is usually overexpressed on activated macrophages, but it is hardly expressed on resting macrophages.•FR-β may be a better targeted folate-binding drugs delivery route of IPF. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, fatal disease with high mortality and poor prognosis. It is characterized by a gradual decline in lung function, and there are currently no effective therapeutic methods. Folate is a water-soluble B vitamin that plays an important role in one-carbon transfer reactions, nucleic acid biosynthesis and methylation reactions. Studies have shown that folate may participate in the pathogenesis of IPF through ways of DNA repair, methylation, and reactive oxygen species. Macrophage activation is an important early cellular event in IPF and the inflammatory response that they trigger is a significant feature of IPF. Folate receptor-β (FR-β) is a cell surface glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored glycoprotein that can mediate the unidirectional transport of folate into cells. And it has been found in previous studies that FR-β is usually overexpressed on activated macrophages, but the expression on resting macrophages was undetectable. Therefore, targeting FR-β may have potential value for the early diagnosis and therapy of IPF. Our goal is to highlight the biological role of folate and FR-β in IPF, and we hope to provide helpful insight for clinical treatment strategies.