Fig. 9From: Acute lung injury by gastric fluid instillation: activation of myofibroblast apoptosis during injury resolutionApoptosis-related ECM synthesis/degradation imbalance. Apoptosis is involved in the repair phase of gastric-fluid induced ALI, affecting myofibroblasts among other mesenchymal cells that are part of intra-alveolar buds of granulation tissue. Reduction in myofibroblast number results in reduction of new collagen synthesis. Since myofibroblasts are also an important source of TIMP-2, synthesis of this inhibitor is also reduced, leaving increased MMP-2 activity unbalanced and shifting the ECM synthesis/degradation balance toward degradation of pre-formed ECMBack to article page