Mesenchymal stem cell plasticity and therapeutic programming in acute lung injury

Abstract

Rationale: Following influenza virus (IV)-induced injury, the initiation of well-coordinated programs for inflammation termination and alveolar epithelium regeneration are necessary to restore appopriate gas exchange and regain homeostasis. Alveolar re-epithelialization after injury involves the interaction between amplifying cells and resident mesenchymal stems/stromal cells (MSC). MSC have been proven to exert anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, injury-resolving, and regenerative effects in IV-induced lung injury by releasing soluble factors at the site of infection or by direct cell-cell communication. Based on these observations, the aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of MSC priming through different stimulations to improve their anti-viral and regenerative properties after IV-induced lung injury. Methods: To test and compare the protective effects of murine MSC isolated from lungs (lung-MSC) and bone marrow (BM-MSC), co-cultures of MSC/ATII cross-talk (regarding ATII infection, cell death and proliferation) was analysed by flow cytometry and transcriptomic analysis. [...].