Nintedanib attenuates lung function decline in a Bleomycin-induced rat model of pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is an interstitial lung disease characterised by scarring of the lung tissue leading to a decline in lung function which eventually becomes fatal. There are currently very limited treatment options and even with treatment the life expectancy after diagnosis is only three to five years. Nintedanib is a small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor that has recently been clinically approved for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, having been shown to slow down the decrease in forced vital capacity observed in patients of pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of prophylactic and therapeutic nintedanib treatment on changes in inflammation, fibrotic biomarkers and specifically lung function in a preclinical rat model of bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis.