Regenerative Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Therapeutic Applications in Lung Disorders
Kavita Sharma, Syed Yawer Husain, Pragnya Das, Mohammad Hussain, and Mansoor Ali Syed
Introduction
Despite substantial clinical advances over the past decades, inflammatory lung diseases are a major cause of morbidity and mortality and have become one of the major public health issues across the world. The World Health Organization positions lung diseases second in epidemiology, mortality, and cost and predicts that about one-fifth deaths will be attributed to lung diseases by 2020. Currently, there are no therapeutic ways to inhibit or reverse the pathobiology of many destructive lung diseases that results in dysfunctional lung renovation. However, recent studies indicate that lung mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are triggered by local factors to differentiate into myofibroblasts that contribute to disease progression. Therefore, it is of critical significance to understand the molecular and cellular basis of endogenous lung MSCs participation in lung injury and repair. Interestingly, while the lung exhibits tremendous regenerative capacity, restoration of pulmonary function does
K. Sharma
Department of Pathology, AIIMS, New Delhi, India S.Y. Husain
Stem Cell Research Lab, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences,
Subhash Nagar, Jaipur 302016, Rajasthan, India
P. Das
Drexel University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA M. Hussain
Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, India M.A. Syed (*)
Stem Cell Research Lab, Rajasthan University of Health Sciences,
Subhash Nagar, Jaipur 302016, Rajasthan, India
Department of Biotechnology, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi, India e-mail: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it
© Springer International Publishing AG 2017 P.V. Pham (ed.), Liver, Lung and Heart Regeneration,
Stem Cells in Clinical Applications, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-46693-4_6
not occur in many adult lung diseases. To address this condition emphasis has been increased on the development of cell-based therapies, but due to diverse cell types and functions lung is considered as a recalcitrant candidate for these strategies. Currently, origins and contributions of stem cells are under intense investigation for cell-based therapy and pulmonary remodelling. Specialized microenvironments for resident multipotent MSCs have been identified in many adult tissues and normal differentiation processes of these may be disrupted by pathologic microenvironmental stimuli during disease, epigenetic changes, or genetic alteration, which program their contribution to pathologic expansion at the expense of functional tissue regeneration. MSCs are most widely investigated and clinically tested type of stem cell because of their regenerative capacity to mesoderm/non-mesoderm- derived tissues and they also display immune-enhancing as well as immunosuppressive properties. MSCs especially from human are widely studied as compared to other cells, different early stage clinical and scientific studies show potential for repair and renewal of lung tissues and offer great ability for the treatment of several devastating and incurable lung diseases. Bone marrow derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) are currently tested in clinical trials as a potential therapy in patients with such inflammatory lung diseases. Here, we will review the biology of MSCs, their interaction with molecular and cellular pathways, and their modulation of immune responses in lung disorders. Additionally, we discuss what stem cell therapy offers in specific acute and chronic lung disorders which includes respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, fibrosis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), and pulmonary hypertension.
