Abstract
Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess regenerative properties and have been shown to improve outcomes and survival in acute and chronic lung diseases, but there have been some safety concerns raised related to MSC-based therapy. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that many of the regenerative effects of MSCs can be attributed to the MSC-derived secretome, which contains soluble factors and extracellular vesicles (EVs). MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-derived EVs) replicate many of the beneficial effects of MSCs and contain a variety of bioactive factors that are transferred to recipient cells, mediating downstream signaling. MSC-derived EV therapy holds promise as a safe and effective treatment for pulmonary disease, but there remain many scientific and clinical questions that will need to be addressed before EVs are widely applied as a therapy. To date, the use of MSC-derived EVs as a treatment for lung disease has been conducted primarily in in vitro or pre-clinical animal models. In this review, we will discuss the current published research investigating the use of EVs as a potential therapeutic for acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), asthma, and silicosis.
Highlights
Stem cell research has garnered significant attention over the last few decades, especially regarding potential applications for the regeneration of damaged or diseased tissue [1]
While many experimental and clinical studies have established the use of Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in lung disease, there have been some safety concerns raised related to MSC-based therapy, which include the undesirable differentiation of transplanted MSCs resulting in possible malignant transformation, as well as vascular occlusion caused by injected MSCs [7]
Exosome biogenesis is dependent on the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) protein for the formation of endosomal intraluminal vesicles resulting in multivesicular bodies (MVBs), from which exosomes are released via exocytosis when MVBs fuse with the plasma membrane [14,15]
Summary
Stem cell research has garnered significant attention over the last few decades, especially regarding potential applications for the regeneration of damaged or diseased tissue [1]. There is a significant body of research published describing MSCs as a potential therapy for several acute and chronic lung diseases, summarized in recently published comprehensive reviews [3,5,6]. EVs are hypothesized to be a safer alternative to MSCs since they are cell free and appear to have a better immunogenicity, tumorigenicity, and embolism formation side effect profile than MSCs [9,10]. This has led to increased efforts to develop MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-derived EVs) as a potential therapeutic agent
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
