Stem cell therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Acute respiratory distress syndrome is characterized by an acute pulmonary inflammatory process induced by the presence of a direct (pulmonary) insult that affects lung parenchyma, or an indirect (extrapulmonary) insult that results from an acute systemic inflammatory response. It is believed that an efficient therapy for the acute respiratory distress syndrome should attenuate inflammatory response and promote adequate repair of the lung injury. This article presents a brief review on the use of stem cells and their potential therapeutic effect on the acute respiratory distress syndrome. This systematic review was based upon clinical and experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome studies included in the MedLine and SciElO database during the last 10 years. Stem cell transplant lead to an improvement in lung injury and fibrotic process by inducing adequate tissue repair. This includes alveolar epithelial cell differentiation,and also reduces pulmonary and systemic inflammatory mediators and secretion of growth factors. Stem cells could be a potential therapy for acute respiratory distress syndrome promoting lung repair and attenuating the inflammatory response. However, mechanisms involving their anti-inflammatory and antifibrinogenic effects require better elucidation, limiting their immediate clinical use in acute respiratory distress syndrome.