Cell transplantation of lung stem cells has beneficial impact
for emphysema
Tampa, Fla. (June 4, 2012) – When autologous (self-donated) lung-derived
mensenchymal stem cells (LMSCs) were transplanted endoscopically into 13 adult
female sheep modeled with emphysema, post-transplant evaluation showed
evidence
of tissue regeneration with increased blood perfusion and extra cellular matrix
content. Researchers concluded that their approach could represent a practical
alternative to conventional stem cell-based therapy for treating emphysema.
The study is published in
Cell Transplantation (21:1), now freely
available on-line at
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct/.
"Mensenchymal stem cells are considered for transplantation because they are
readily available, highly proliferative and display multi-lineage potential,"
said study corresponding author Dr. Edward P. Ingenito of the Brigham and
Women's Hospital Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. "Although
MSCs have been isolated from various adult tissues - including fat, liver and
lung tissues - cells derived from bone marrow (BM) have therapeutic utility and
may be useful in treating advanced lung diseases, such as emphysema."
However, according to the authors, previous transplantation studies, many of
which used an intravenous delivery method, have shown that BM-MSCs have been
only marginally successful in treating lung diseases. Further, therapeutic
responses in those studies have been limited to animal models of inflammatory
lung diseases, such as asthma and acute lung injury.
To try and answer the questions surrounding the utility of BM-MSCs for
treating advanced emphysema, a disease characterized by tissue destruction and
loss of lung structural integrity, for this study the researchers isolated
highly proliferative, mensenchymal cells from adult lung parenchyma (functional
tissue) (LMSCs) and used an endoscopic delivery system coupled with a scaffold
comprised of natural extracellular matrix components.
"LMSCs display efficient retention in the lung when delivered endobronchially
and have regenerative capacity through expression of basement membrane proteins
and growth factors," explained Dr. Ingenito.
However, despite the use of autologous cells, only a fraction of the LMSCs
delivered to the lungs alveolar compartment appeared to engraft. Cell death
likely occurred because of the failure of LMSCs to home to and bind within their
niche, perhaps because the niche was modified by inflammation or fibrosis. These
cells are attachment-dependent and failure to attach results in cell death."
Their findings did suggest, however, that LMSCs were capable of contributing
to lung remodeling leading to documented functional improvement rather than
scarring 28 days post transplantation.
"Although the data is from a small number of animals, results show that
autologous LMSC therapy using endoscopic delivery and a biocompatible scaffold
to promote engraftment is associated with tissue remodeling and increased
perfusion, without scarring or inflammation," concluded Dr. Ingenito. "However,
questions concerning mechanism of action and pattern of physiological response
remain topics for future investigation."
"The impact of mesenchymal stem cells derived from autologous lung tissue
demonstrated in this study, suggests that transplantation of these cells could
prove to be an important factor in the treatment of emphysema, though further
studies are required" said Dr. Amit N. Patel, director of cardiovascular
regenerative medicine at the University of Utah and section editor for
Cell
Transplantation.
###
Contact: Edward P. Ingenito, MD, PhD, Pulmonary and Critical care Medicine,
Brigham and Women's Hospital, 75 Francis St. Boston, MA, USA.
Tel.(617)
833-8531
Fax. (617) 732-7421
Email
eingenito@partners.org
Citation: Ingenito, E. P.; Tsai, L.; Murthy, S.; Tyagi, S.; Mazan, M.;
Hoffman, A. Autologous lung-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in
experimental emphysema. Cell Transplant. 21(1):175-189; 2012
The Coeditor-in-chief's for
Cell Transplantation are at the Diabetes
Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Center for
Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, TaiChung, Taiwan. Contact,
Camillo Ricordi, MD at
ricordi@miami.edu or Shinn-Zong Lin, MD, PhD
at
shinnzong@yahoo.com.tw or David Eve, PhD at
celltransplantation@gmail.com
News release by
Florida Science Communications
see the orginal source on this article
-- Beginning August 2012
