SIRT3 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Lastly, we detected mitochondrial changes not yet described in the alveolar epithelium of IPF patients, such as an increase in levels of the deacetylase SIRT3, the transcription factor forkhead box O3a (FOXO3) and the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) (Figure 3D, 3E), suggesting our model can help to uncover new mechanisms in the pathogenesis of disease.