Young C57BL/6J mice (male, 6 weeks) were randomly divided into three groups, each group contained 12–15 mice. To induce lung fibrosis, mice from two groups received 2 mg/kg bleomycin (MCE, HY-17565) through intratracheal instillation, and one group received PBS as a sham. After one week, the two bleomycin-treated groups received 0.5 mg/kg ML216 dissolved in a solvent containing saline with 10% DMSO, 20% SBE-β-CD (Sigma, H107) or a solvent control through intraperitoneal injections (i.p.), respectively. The injections were conducted twice a week for 3 weeks, while the sham group received the solvent control at the same frequency. Mouse body weight was measured twice a week.
Aged C57BL/6J mice (female, 22 months) were randomly divided into two groups, each group contained 10–11 mice. The two groups received 1 mg/kg ML216 dissolved in a solvent containing saline with 10% DMSO, 20% SBE-β-CD (Sigma, H107) or a solvent control through intraperitoneal injections (i.p.), respectively. The injections were conducted twice a week for 5 weeks. Mouse body weight was measured twice a week.