Specifically, mRNA transcript levels for SDF-1b were lower in the cultures from IPF patients compared to the infected primary cultures from healthy donors with ratio of the means 0.08 (p = 0.348), as well as for CXCR4 with ratio of the means 0.001 (p = 0.568) and VEGF with ratio of the means 0.04 (p = 0.05). Here, CXCL12 is linked to idiopathic interstitial pneumonia.