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International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Research

ISSN Online: 2575-7970 ISSN Print: 2575-7989 CODEN: IJCEMH
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ArticleOpen Access http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijcemr.2026.07.007

Research Progress of Cell Metabolic Reprogramming Driving the Occurrence and Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis

Ming Qi1, Wengang Song1,*, Peng Sun2, Chengyuan Jiang3

1Beihua University, Jilin 132013, Jilin, China.

2Shenzhen Nanshan Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital, Shenzhen 518052, Guangdong, China.

3Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, Jilin, China.

*Corresponding author: Wengang Song

Published: July 02, 2026

Abstract

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a brutal, progressive lung disease with a lousy prognosis. Basically, the lung tissue scars over abnormally, wrecking the structure and shut-ting down function. The core problem is a dysfunctional axis: alveolar epithelial cells keep getting injured, immune balance falls apart, and fibroblasts go into overdrive, dumping massive amounts of extracellular matrix and remodeling the organ beyond repair. Here’s the kicker: metabolic reprogramming is the engine driving this whole mess. Mitochondrial dysfunction spikes reactive oxygen species (ROS) and stabilizes hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF-1α), forcing cells to ditch oxidative phosphorylation for aerobic glycolysis. The resulting metabolites—like lactate—aren’t just fuel; they act as signaling molecules that mess with epigenetics and cell talk, locking in that pro-fibrotic phenotype. Meanwhile, busted lipid metabolism and amino acid flux feed the scarring machine. This review breaks down how metabolic rewiring fuels PF and explores whether targeting these nodes can actually stop the progression.

Keyword

Pulmonary fibrosis; metabolism reprogramming; aerobic glycolysis

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© 2026 by the author(s).
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not modified or adapted.
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How to cite this paper

Research Progress of Cell Metabolic Reprogramming Driving the Occurrence and Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis

How to cite this paper: Ming Qi, Wengang Song, Peng Sun, Chengyuan Jiang. (2026) Research Progress of Cell Metabolic Reprogramming Driving the Occurrence and Development of Pulmonary Fibrosis. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine Research10(4), 291-298.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.26855/ijcemr.2026.07.007