Research and Application of Stem Cell-Based Therapy in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Review

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a type of pulmonary disease that progresses acutely or slowly into irreversible pulmonary diseases, resulting in the end severe damages to patients' lung functions, as well as deaths. At present, the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis is still not clear and there is no effective therapeutic measure available to control the progression of the disease. Research findings indicate that stem cells, being the origin of all cells of organisms, participate in the development of individuals at various stages and play an important role in repairing pulmonary tissue damage. Stem cells are attracting growing attention in the field of regenerative medicine, providing new ideas for treating IPF with transplanted stem cells. Herein, in order to better explore the potential applications of stem cell transplantation in treating IPF, we attempt to summarize preliminary studies of stem cell-mediated pulmonary remodeling after IPF, as well as cutting-edge clinical trials in stem cell-based IPF therapy.