Fibroblasts from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and normal lungs differ in growth rate, apoptosis, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases expression

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic lung disorder characterized by fibroblast proliferation and extracellular matrix accumulation. However, studies on fibroblast growth rate and collagen synthesis have given contradictory results. Here we analyzed fibroblast growth rate by a formazan-based chromogenic assa