Specific subsets of mesenchymal stroma cells to treat lung disorders – Finding the Holy Grail

Abstract

Accumulating studies, both in animals and human clinical trials with mesenchymal stroma cells (MSC) support the hypothesis of therapeutic effects of these cells in various disorders. However, despite success in immune-mediated disorders such as Crohns' disease, lung disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and idiopathic pulmonary disease (IPF) treated with MSC have so far not yielded a revolutionary effect on clinical symptoms. Promising data on immunomodulatory effects in COPD have kept nourishing the research into finding specific traits of MSC beneficial in disease. A heterogeneous population of injected cells might drown a potential therapeutic role of a specific group of MSC. Thus careful analysis of MSC regarding their molecular capabilities such as delivering specific therapeutic vesicles to the environment, or plain cytokine/chemokine fingerprinting might prove useful in augmenting therapies against lung diseases.

Dynamic Reciprocity: The Role of the Extracellular Matrix Microenvironment in Amplifying and Sustaining Pathological Lung Fibrosis

“…To date, accumulating evidence from clinical trials shows that intravenous or endobronchial transplantation of MSCs in humans is safe. Moreover, MSCs have been reported to exert beneficial effects in phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in immunemediated diseases, such as graft-versus-host disease and Crohn's disease [178]. In a phase 1b, nonrandomized clinical trial in 14 IPF patients, there were no serious adverse events within 12 months after 3 endobronchial infusions of autologous ADSCs [179].…”

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells to Regenerate Emphysema: On the Horizon?

“…Certain types of stem cell such as hematopoietic stem cell transplants have been proven to provide effective treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, or severe combined immunodeficiency. Additionally, in phase I and II clinical trials mesenchymal or stromal cells (MSCs) have been reported to exert beneficial effects on immune- mediated diseases such as graft-versus-host disease and Crohn disease [1]. …”