Therapeutic Challenges in Sulfur Mustard Induced Pulmonary Complications and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Sadeghi, Somaye; Mohseni Majd, Ali Mohammad; Mosaffa, Nariman; Ghazanfari, Tooba

doi:10.32598/Immunoregulation.6.1.3

Therapeutic Challenges in Sulfur Mustard Induced Pulmonary Complications and Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Document Type : Review article

Authors

¹ Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute for Research and Education in Transfusion Medicine, Tehran, Iran.

² Immunoregulation Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran.

³ Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

10.32598/Immunoregulation.6.1.3

Abstract

Sulfur mustard (SM), an alkylating chemical agent, targets several organs, particularly the respiratory system, and results in early and late toxic effects. Currently, there is a considerable lack of adequate medical countermeasures for SM-associated lung injury. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are characterized by their self-renewal properties and differentiation capacity into multiple cell lineages. These features provide MSCs with the unique ability to engraft into injured tissues and exert immunomodulatory and tissue-repairing effects. Recent congruent findings on the usefulness of MSCs in the context of SM-induced pulmonary injury have raised the promise of their therapeutic use; however, their potential protective mechanisms are still unknown. A better understanding of the therapeutic mechanism of MSCs involved in SM-pulmonary injury would help figure out new target options. Accordingly, this study discusses the opportunities and therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs in SM poisoning. Recent advances in the treatment of SM-induced lung injury and the therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs as possible new treatments are highlighted. The PubMed and Scopus databases for published studies on the therapeutic approach of SM-induced lung manifestations were searched with a focus on the therapeutic mechanisms of MSCs.

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