MMP-7 is known to be produced by both alveolar epithelial cells and myofibroblasts, and it plays a role in various processes associated with the initiation and progression of pulmonary fibrosis, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition, extracellular matrix degradation, aberrant matrix repair, and tissue remodeling [26,28,30,31]. Here, MMP7 is linked to pulmonary fibrosis.