The cancer drug can protect against certain lung conditions

WASHINGTON DC: A new study has suggested that a drug used in stem cell therapy for some cancers may also protect against lung injury induced by cigarette smoke.

The cancer drug, plerixafor, stimulates the immune system to release more than one stem cell (hematopoietic progenitor cells, or hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC)) from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. The drug is used to treat certain types of cancer that come from blood cells. Stem cells have the potential to develop into different types of cells in the body and are involved in tissue repair.

According to previous research, a lower number of HPCs in the bloodstream corresponds to an increase in the severity of emphysema, a form of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is a progressive lung disease that makes breathing difficult.

Studies suggest that the reduced number of circulating HPC prevents the lungs from repairing smoke-related damage. Based on this theory, researchers explored the effect of plerixafor on stem cell circulation and subsequent lung function in mice. One group of animals was exposed to cigarette smoke five days a week for 22 weeks and received regular injections of plerixafor and another group was exposed to smoke but did not receive treatment .

Stem cells taken from all groups of mice showed that there was no detectable depletion of HPC in the group receiving the treatment. In fact, the numbers of HPC increased after two weeks of treatment for the mice that received the injections.

Meanwhile, pulmonary fluid samples from the treated group showed no significant change in white blood cell count or inflammation compared to a control group. The increase in these factors usually indicates an illness or injury.

The study appears in the American Journal of Physiology – Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.