A study published in the journal Nature Cell Biology shows a cellular pathway that can be targeted with a drug to stimulate lung tissue regeneration necessary for recovery from lung injury. The study’s findings, researchers say, could lead to better therapies for patients with lung diseases like acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19.
Prior research has shown that type II alveolar pneumocytes (AT2) are involved in lung repair by facilitating gas exchange between the lung air sacs and nearby capillaries. The cells are able to facilitate repair by modifying the thread-like structure made up of DNA called the chromosome and make specific genes available to the machinery of the cell. But it was unknown what changes related occurred in these cells following disease-related injury to promote repair.
In the current study, the research team used genome-wide analyses to assess changes in (AT2), followed by single-cell analysis of the cells alongside another cell type important for tissue repair called mesenchymal cells. The two approaches led the researchers to identify one single pathway that ultimately increased regeneration of lung tissue. Researchers were then able to stimulate and accelerate lung tissue repair in mice with lung injury by administering a compound derived from plants known as 7,8-Dihydroflavone. The study was partly funded by NHLBI.