Chen QH, Zheng JY, Wang DC. Asthma and stem cell therapy. World J Stem Cells 2025; 17(2): 103599 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i2.103599]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Qiong-Hua Chen, MD, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Quanzhou Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, No. 700 Fengze Street, Fengze District, Quanzhou 362000, Fujian Province, China. cqionghua283@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Respiratory System
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Feb 26, 2025; 17(2): 103599 Published online Feb 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i2.103599
Asthma and stem cell therapy
Qiong-Hua Chen, Jing-Yang Zheng, Da-Chun Wang
Qiong-Hua Chen, Jing-Yang Zheng, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Quanzhou Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, Fujian Province, China
Da-Chun Wang, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston, TX 77030, United States
Da-Chun Wang, Stem Cell Laboratory, Second Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Quanzhou 362000, Fujian Province, China
Author contributions: Chen QH wrote the manuscript and designed the figures; Chen QH and Wang DC edited the manuscript; Zheng JY designed the figures; Chen QH, Zheng JY, and Wang DC provided administration support; All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Joint Innovation Project Funds of Huaqiao University, No. 2022YX001.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Qiong-Hua Chen, MD, Department of Respiratory Medicine, Quanzhou Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Clinical Medical College of Fujian Medical University, No. 700 Fengze Street, Fengze District, Quanzhou 362000, Fujian Province, China. cqionghua283@163.com
Received: November 29, 2024 Revised: December 23, 2024 Accepted: February 5, 2025 Published online: February 26, 2025 Processing time: 87 Days and 18.8 Hours
Abstract
The global incidence of asthma, a leading respiratory disorder affecting more than 235 million people, has dramatically increased in recent years. Characterized by chronic airway inflammation and an imbalanced response to airborne irritants, this chronic condition is associated with elevated levels of inflammatory factors and symptoms such as dyspnea, cough, wheezing, and chest tightness. Conventional asthma therapies, such as corticosteroids, long-acting β-agonists, and anti-inflammatory agents, often evoke diverse adverse reactions and fail to reduce symptoms and hospitalization rates over the long term effectively. These limitations have prompted researchers to explore innovative therapeutic strategies, including stem cell-related interventions, offering hope to those afflicted with this incurable disease. In this review, we describe the characteristics of stem cells and critically assess the potential and challenges of stem cell-based therapies to improve disease management and treatment outcomes for asthma and other diseases.
Core Tip: In this review, we provide an overview of the characteristics of stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells and adult stem cells, along with a summary of stem cell therapies for asthma and associated challenges. This review aims to guide future research endeavors on developing innovative stem cell therapies for asthma and other disorders.
