CXCL10 Deficiency Protects from Lung Macrophage Invasion and Enables Lung Growth During Acute Injury and Recovery in Experimental Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

Rationale Preterm infants with oxygen supplementation frequently develop a chronic lung disease known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD). Pathomechanistically, an inflammatory response with increased migration and activation of macrophages plays a major role. Elevated levels of CXCL10 (C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10), which has chemotactic and activating effects on proinflammatory inflammatory cells, were detected in lungs of infants evolving BPD. Therefore, we investigated whether CXCL10 deficiency protects newborn mice from hyperoxia-induced lung injury (as a model of BPD).