Dabigatran Etexilate, An Oral Direct Thrombin Inhibitor, Represses Fibrotic Changes In A Murine Model Of Pulmonary Fibrosis

RATIONALE: Activation of the coagulation cascade and generation of thrombin has been extensively documented in pulmonary fibrosis, both in acute and chronic lung injury, and in animal models of lung injury and fibrosis. The oral direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI), dabigatran etexilate, modulates the coagulation cascade and inhibits thrombin-induced profibrotic signaling in lung fibroblasts. This study tested whether thrombin inhibition by dabigatran etexilate attenuates bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in a murine model of lung injury.