Increase in Stem Cell Subtype Indicates Better Survival Rate in Acute Lung Injury

Main Category: Lung Cancer
Article Date: 04 Oct 2005 - 5:00 PDT

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Researchers found that an increase in the number of a certain type of stem cell in patient's blood was associated with a much improved survival rate for those hit by a devastating cause of respiratory failure, acute lung injury (ALI).

According to the authors, the improved survival rate among 45 patients with ALI correlated with higher colony counts of a stem cell subtype called endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs). Patients with ALI, which constitutes a very serious illness, usually require ventilator support, and face a high death rate.

The researchers noted that repair of damaged endothelium--the layer of flat cells that lines the heart, blood and lymph vessels, as well as some body cavities--is important in recovering from acute lung injury. In animal models, bone marrow-derived EPCs differentiate into mature endothelium and assist in repairing a damaged vascular system.

The researchers said that patients with ALI who had a colony count for EPCs of 35 or more had a mortality rate of 30 percent as compared with 61 percent in those with colony counts of less than 35.

Of the 45 patients with ALI, 26 survived. Among all ALI patients, 27 had colony-forming units exceeding 35, and 18 had colony-forming units numbering less than 35.

Acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome represent twin deadly types of lung failure that can result from different disorders. In this study, 33 of the 45 patients had lung injury primarily associated with pneumonia.

Stem cells derived from bone marrow can change into a variety of tissue-specific human cell types. In this research, EPCs represent the specific subtype of stem cell involved, and were isolated from the peripheral blood of the patients.

The authors believe that the measurement of EPC colony-forming units is promising as a novel prognostic marker for survival in patients with ALI.

The research appears in the first issue for October 2005 of the American Thoracic Society's peer-reviewed American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

For the complete text of these articles, please see the American Thoracic Society Online Web Site at http//www.atsjournals.org. For either contact information or to request a complimentary journalist subscription to ATS journals online, or if you would like to add your name to the Society's twice monthly journal news e-mail list, contact Brian Kell at (212) 315-6442, or by e-mail at bkell@thoracic.org.

Brian Kell
bkell@thoracic.org
212-315-6442
American Thoracic Society
thoracic.org

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