CXCL10 and pulmonary fibrosis: However, recent studies have shown that MMP-8 promotes (rather than inhibits) lung fibrosis in bleomycin-treated mice, and this is linked to MMP-8's activities in reducing lung levels of macrophage inflammatory protein 1α (MIP-1α) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) which is an anti-fibrotic cytokine [10]–[12].