REVIEW article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for pulmonary hypertension: an update
Provisionally accepted
- 1Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
- 2Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, China
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Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a life-threatening condition characterized by pulmonary vascular remodeling. Without treatment, it may progress to right heart failure, the main cause of death in such cases. Although traditional drugs can slow PH progression, their efficacy is often limited, underscoring an urgent need for new treatments. Stem cell therapy, meanwhile, has emerged as a promising approach for various refractory diseases, with considerable therapeutic potential. This article reviews preclinical findings on mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy for PH, focusing on how MSCs alleviate right ventricular failure, reverse pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation, restore endothelial function, and regulate anti-inflammatory factor expression. It also discusses the therapeutic effects of MSC-derived exosomes. The current challenges and future perspectives of MSCs in clinical applications are also explored. Preclinical studies suggest that MSCs hold considerable promise for treating PH. However, further studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms behind their therapeutic effects and develop strategies for the safe, efficient large-scale production of MSCs for clinical use.
Keywords: mesenchymal stem cell, pulmonary hypertension, exosome, Endothelialmesenchymal transition, Signaling Pathways, microRNA
Received: 25 Aug 2025; Accepted: 13 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Tian, Xu, Liu, Wang, Wu, Li and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lisheng Li, medlls@zmu.edu.cn
Juan Liu, liujuan@zmu.edu.cn
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.