THIS IS WHERE DISCOVERIES ARE BORN!

The researchers from the Medical University of Bialystok (Alicja Walewska, Marlena Tynecka, Sylwia Ksiezak, Agnieszka Tarasik, Adrian Janucik, Kinga Bondarczuk, Malgorzata Rusak, Milena Dabrowska, Hady Razak Hady, Piotr Radziwon, Dariusz Sredzinski, Joanna Reszec-Gielazyn, Marcin Moniuszko, Andrzej Eljaszewicz), along with co-authors from Regional Centre for Blood Transfusion published the article „The influence of asthmatic inflammation and house dust mite (HDM) exposure on abundance, immune-modulatory potential, and differentiation capacity of the lung-resident mesenchymal stem cells (lrMSCs)” in Stem Cell Research & Therapy (https://doi.org/10.1186/s13287-025-04520-1,
IF = 7.3).

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are crucial for the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, as well as for the promotion of regenerative and immunoregulatory processes. However,
a growing body of research indicates that chronic inflammation can significantly impair their function. This applies, among other things, to asthma, one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases.

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of house dust mite allergen-induced asthmatic inflammation on the amount and characteristics of stem cells
in the lungs. The study was conducted using a mouse model of allergic asthma. The differentiation potential of the cells, their immunomodulatory capacity, and the impact of inflammatory factors on the function of human adipose tissue-derived MSCs were analyzed. The results showed that chronic inflammation in asthma leads to a significant reduction in the number of pulmonary MSCs. Furthermore, cells present in inflamed tissue exhibited impaired regenerative potential and limited immunoregulatory properties. Similar effects were also observed after exposure of human MSCs to HDM and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). It has also been shown that inflammatory mediators themselves can disrupt cell differentiation processes, even without direct contact with allergens.

The results of the study indicate that chronic inflammation in asthma not only diminishes the quantity of lrMSCs but also significantly impairs their functionality. This may limit natural regenerative and immunoregulatory mechanisms in the airways, thus promoting the persistence or progression of asthmatic inflammation.

This research was supported by the statutory funds of the Medical University of Białystok. The publication was created during Alicja Walewska's doctoral studies at the Medical University of Białystok. Marlena Tynecka received support from the Foundation for Polish Science under the START 2023 program.