Cell Damage and Cell Renewal in the Lung

A basic principle of wound healing is that cell loss will also trigger cell regeneration involving proliferation. This simple concept is actually quite difficult to study in the context of the complex multicellular environment of the lung. The pattern of the proliferative response is predicated on the cell type that is damaged, the extent and degree of the damage, and whether the insult is acute or chronic. When studying cell renewal, it is critically important to define the type of damage, its extent, and the cell types involved so that the nature of the reparative response can be put into context. Toxicologists have contributed vital information that has helped define lung cell reparative potential.