Pathogenesis and Therapy of Hermansky–Pudlak Syndrome (HPS)-Associated Pulmonary Fibrosis

Abstract

Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS)-associated pulmonary fibrosis (HPS-PF) is a progressive lung disease that is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in HPS patients. Previous studies have demonstrated that the HPS proteins play an essential role in the biogenesis and function of lysosome-related organelles (LROs) in alveolar epithelial type II (AT2) cells and found that HPS-PF is associated with dysfunction of AT2 cells and abnormal immune reactions. Despite recent advances in research on HPS and the pathology of HPS-PF, the pathological mechanisms underlying HPS-PF remain poorly understood, and no effective treatment has been established. Therefore, it is necessary to refresh the progress in the pathogenesis of HPS-PF to increase our understanding of the pathogenic mechanism of HPS-PF and develop targeted therapeutic strategies. This review summarizes the recent progress in the pathogenesis of HPS-PF provides information about the current treatment strategies for HPS-PF, and hopefully increases our understanding of the pathogenesis of HPS-PF and offers thoughts for new therapeutic interventions.