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Sally Yunsun Kim. 1 Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Janette K. Burgess. 2 Department Pathology and Medical Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. 3 Respiratory Cellular and Molecular Biology, Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 4 Discipline of Pharmacology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Yiwei Wang. 5 ANZAC Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Concord, Australia.
Eleanor P.W. Kable. 6 Australian Centre for Microscopy & Microanalysis, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Daniel J. Weiss. 7 College of Medicine, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont.
Hak-Kim Chan. 1 Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Wojciech Chrzanowski. 1 Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia. 8 Australian Institute of Nanoscale Science and Technology, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Reviewed by: Barbara Rothen-Rutishauser, Foda Hussein
Address correspondence to: Wojciech Chrzanowski, PhD, DSc, Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia, E-mail: [email protected]
Introduction
Cell-based therapy using mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is a rapidly advancing field of research for lung injury and lung diseases.(1-3) Self-renewal and injury repair in the lungs are mostly achieved by the endogenous lung stem and progenitor cells on activation during injury.(2,3) However, there is an inherently limited regenerative capacity in the lung due to a low rate of cell turnover in some parts. Therefore, MSCs are being studied for promoting reparative and regenerative processes such as angiogenesis, stimulating actions of endogenous progenitor cells, reducing fibrosis, and having anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.(3-5) Systemically administered MSCs have the ability to interact with injured cells at sites of tissue damage due to the expression of relevant cell surface proteins such as integrins and cell adhesion molecules on the MSCs.(6,7)
A systematic review on smoke inhalation-associated acute lung injury reported that more than 70% of the patients with inhalation injury in a regional burn center were diagnosed with respiratory failure and 20% were diagnosed with acute respiratory distress syndrome.(8) Current treatment for inhalation injury is mainly supportive, with oxygen and fluid therapies,(1) medications to address the coexisting conditions such as bronchospasm and infections,(8,9) and heparin and N-acetylcysteine to prevent small...