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Development of a Neonatal Piglet Acute Lung Injury Model Recreating the Early Environment of Preterm Infant Lungs
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Published on: October 31, 2025

Mechanisms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Antonia P Popova1

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, 1150 W. Medical Center Dr., Room 3570, MSRBII, Box 5688, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, 48109-5688, antoniap@med.umich.edu.

Journal of Cell Communication and Signaling
|January 22, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease in premature infants. This review focuses on the mesenchyme

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pulmonology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a significant cause of chronic respiratory morbidity in premature infants.
  • Long-term pulmonary sequelae of BPD can persist into adulthood.
  • The pathogenesis of BPD involves multiple interacting factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the diverse mechanisms contributing to the development of BPD.
  • To highlight current research on the role of the mesenchyme in BPD pathogenesis.
  • To elucidate the contributions of both cellular and extracellular mesenchymal components.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing bench and clinical research.
  • Synthesis of data on BPD development mechanisms.
  • Focus on mesenchymal contributions to lung injury and repair.

Main Results:

  • Mesenchymal cells and extracellular matrix play a critical role in BPD development.
  • Alterations in mesenchymal signaling impact alveolarization and vascular development.
  • Therapeutic strategies targeting the mesenchyme are under investigation.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding mesenchymal contributions is key to developing novel BPD therapies.
  • Targeting the lung mesenchyme offers potential for preventing or treating BPD.
  • Further research is needed to fully elucidate mesenchymal roles in BPD pathogenesis.

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