Mesenchymal cell progenitors in fibrotic lung diseases

Aim and rationale: The recruitment of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal progenitors (fibrocytes, FC) seems to play a pivotal role in both physiologic wound repair and aberrant fibrosis in lungs and other organs. There is evidence supporting a causal link between accumulation of FC at sites of tissue injury and the development of lung fibrosis. While being an indicator of disease activity in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis there is less known about the role of circulating FC in other fibrotic disorders including scleroderma and airway remodeling in asthma. This study investigates the presence of FC in the blood of patients with scleroderma and chronic asthma.