Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Department of Internal Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Department of Internal Medicine, German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Justus Liebig University, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Cells. 2022 Aug 20;11(16):2595. doi: 10.3390/cells11162595.
The lung epithelium is constantly exposed to harmful agents present in the air that we breathe making it highly susceptible to damage. However, in instances of injury to the lung, it exhibits a remarkable capacity to regenerate injured tissue thanks to the presence of distinct stem and progenitor cell populations along the airway and alveolar epithelium. Mechanisms of repair are affected in chronic lung diseases such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive life-threatening disorder characterized by the loss of alveolar structures, wherein excessive deposition of extracellular matrix components cause the distortion of tissue architecture that limits lung function and impairs tissue repair. Here, we review the most recent findings of a study of epithelial cells with progenitor behavior that contribute to tissue repair as well as the mechanisms involved in mouse and human lung regeneration. In addition, we describe therapeutic strategies to promote or induce lung regeneration and the cell-based strategies tested in clinical trials for the treatment of IPF. Finally, we discuss the challenges, concerns and limitations of applying these therapies of cell transplantation in IPF patients. Further research is still required to develop successful strategies focused on cell-based therapies to promote lung regeneration to restore lung architecture and function.
肺上皮细胞不断暴露于我们呼吸的空气中存在的有害物，使其极易受到损伤。然而，在肺部受损的情况下，由于气道和肺泡上皮中存在独特的干细胞和祖细胞群体，它表现出非凡的再生受损组织的能力。在慢性肺部疾病（如特发性肺纤维化，IPF）中，修复机制受到影响，特发性肺纤维化是一种进行性危及生命的疾病，其特征是肺泡结构丧失，细胞外基质成分过度沉积导致组织结构变形，限制肺功能并损害组织修复。在这里，我们回顾了一项关于具有祖细胞行为的上皮细胞的最新研究结果，这些细胞有助于组织修复以及涉及小鼠和人类肺再生的机制。此外，我们描述了促进或诱导肺再生的治疗策略，以及在临床试验中用于治疗 IPF 的基于细胞的策略。最后，我们讨论了在 IPF 患者中应用这些细胞移植治疗的挑战、关注点和局限性。仍然需要进一步的研究来开发专注于基于细胞的疗法的成功策略，以促进肺再生，恢复肺结构和功能。
