With growing amount of industrial pollution, we expose our body to these harmful chemicals and dust, everyday. Instead of fresh air, we breathe in polluted air that in turn damages our lungs.
Lungs start losing their function because of chronic inflammation. Several diseases cause this chronic inflammation. COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and cystic fibrosis are the main cause. These eventually cause respiratory failure in patients.
A new study reveals that stem cell therapy may reduce lung damage. This study, conducted on mice, proves that stem cell therapy helps reduce inflammatory lung disease. Experts from Queens University Belfast, UK investigated the effectiveness of Mesenchymal stem cell therapy in a mouse model of chronic inflammatory lung disease.
Stem cells were intravenously administered to mice at four and six weeks of age. At about eight weeks, the researchers collected the sample tissue and cells from their lungs.
They found significant reduction of inflammation in the group which received MSC therapy. The monocytic cells and nuetrophils, which are signs of inflammation, reduced significantly after this therapy.
Not only did it help reduce inflammation in the lung, but also resulted in noteworthy improvements in lung structure. This suggests that this form of treatment has the potential to repair the lung damage.
Declan Doherty, a researcher in Queens University Belfast, said, “These preliminary findings demonstrate the potential effectiveness of MSC treatment as a means of repairing the damage caused by chronic lung diseases such as COPD”.
“The ability to counteract inflammation in the lungs by utilising the combined anti-inflammatory and reparative properties of MSCs could potentially reduce the inflammatory response in individuals with chronic lung disease whilst also restoring lung function in these patients”, Doherty added.
The potential of this stem cell therapy is colossal. It may pave way for one of the most effective treatment options available in case of lung damage. The extensive testing and studies can lead to a break-through in the treatment of lung diseases.
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