The Journal of heart and lung transplantation : the official publication of the International Society for Heart Transplantation
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J. Heart Lung Transplant. · Jun 2018
Intratracheal instillation of alveolar type II cells enhances recovery from acute lung injury in rats.
Acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are characterized by excess production of inflammatory factors. Alveolar type II (ATII) cells help repair damaged lung tissue, rapidly proliferating and differentiating into alveolar type I cells after epithelial cell injury. In ALI, the lack of viable ATII favors progression to more severe lung injury. ATII cells regulate the immune response by synthesizing surfactant and other anti-inflammatory proteins and lipids. Cross-talk between ATII and other cells such as macrophages may also be part of the ATII function. The aim of this study was to test the anti-inflammatory and reparative effects of ATII cells in an experimental model of ALI. ⋯ ATII cells and their secreted molecules have shown an ability to resolve ALI, thereby highlighting a potential novel therapeutic target.