Telocytes in rat lungs: an essential pool of cells or not?

B a c k g r o u n d: The histology of the lung includes a variety of cell types. Fibrosis is a universal process, occurring in the skin, intestine, heart, muscles, kidney, blood vessels, liver, and also the lungs. Telocytes are a type of cells with a wide range of properties, which were previously described in healthy and disease-affected organs of human and animal organisms. A i m: This study aimed to identify telocytes in the lungs of rats and discuss their possible role in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. M e t h o d s: Tissue samples were taken from a group of ten male Wistar rats. Further histological and immunohistochemical analysis was performed. Double immunolabeling for c-kit, vimentin, CD34, and PDGFRα has revealed telocytes in the lungs. R e s u l t s: In all tissue samples, telocytes have been identified (in the area of interalveolar septa, close to blood vessels, and between the airway epithelium). C o n c l u s i o n: Telocytes might be directly and indirectly (through contact with stem cells, secretomes, and reduction in number) involved in the development of pulmonary fibrosis. The heterogeneity of the telocyte population in different pathologies and their subtypes, as well as their tendency to be common stress their important role in pathological physiology.