Stem cells and lung diseases.

This paper is designed to review our current understanding of the role of stem and progenitor cells in lung repair after injury and to review the current status of cell therapy approaches for lung diseases. It was found that circulating EPCs (endothelial progenitor cells) play roles in both acute lung injury and in fibrotic lung diseases. Circulating fibrocytes can contribute to the pathophysiology of fibrotic lung diseases and thus may be a potential therapeutic target. MSCs (mesenchymal cells) suppress lung injury and inflammation in several mouse models of inflammatory and immune-mediated lung diseases. In addition, novel areas of investigation have developed that include increasing exploration of three-dimensional culture systems and bioengineering approaches to generate functional lung tissue ex vivo and in vivo.