Figure 1.

Biochemical markers of collagen degradation as measured by six different ELISAs. Levels of the markers reflecting types I (C1M), III (C3M), IV (C4M), V (C5M) and VI (C6M) collagen degradation by MMPs, as well as fragments of type III collagen degraded by aggrecanase (C3A), were measured in serum of patients with mild (n = 10), moderate (n = 10) and severe (n = 10) IPF, mild COPD (n = 10), and healthy controls (n = 15).

Notes: Patient groups were compared with healthy controls using the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test, and results are presented as box plots. The boundaries of each box indicate the 25th and 75th percentiles, the line within the box marks the median, and the whiskers indicate the 5th and 95th percentiles. Significance levels: *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001.