CD44 and silicosis: Furthermore, we utilized anti-CD44 antibody or gradient-dose dihydrotanshinone I (DHI, a lipophilic component of traditional Chinese medicine Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bunge) 12 as well as verteporfin (VP, a small molecule YAP inhibitor) 13 and verified that the CD44-RhoA-YAP signaling blockade could affect fibroblast function and postpone fibrosis progression in experimental silicosis.