The mechanical barrier of lung is made up of epithelial cells which participate in gas exchange. Some of these cells have stem cell potential and are known as lung epithelial stem cells. They play an important role in maintaining lung homeostasis and repairing injured epithelial cells. Organoids are derived from pluripotent stem cells or adult stem cells cultured in a three-dimensional manner in vitro. Their structure and function are very similar to original tissues or organs. They can also self-renew, proliferate, and differentiate. Lung organoids can simulate the structure and function of epithelial cells in vitro. They provide an ideal model for the study of lung epithelial stem cells, which repair epithelial cells in vitro. Meanwhile, they provide an ideal graft for regenerative medicine. Around the lung organoids, this review concludes the mechanisms involved in lung epithelial stem cells repairing epithelial cells, summarizes their applications in regenerative medicine, and provides related reference for the therapy of lung diseases.
肺的上皮细胞组成肺内机械屏障并参与气体交换。其中，部分上皮细胞具有干细胞潜能，被认为是肺上皮干细胞，在维持肺内稳态和修复受损上皮细胞中发挥重要作用。类器官由多能干细胞或成体干细胞体外三维培养而来，其结构和功能与来源组织或器官高度相似，并且能自我更新和增殖分化。其中，肺类器官能体外模拟肺的上皮细胞结构和功能，为研究肺上皮干细胞修复上皮细胞提供理想模型，也为肺的再生医学领域提供理想移植物。本文围绕肺类器官，归纳肺上皮干细胞修复上皮细胞所涉及的机制，同时概括肺类器官在再生医学中的应用，以期为肺部疾病的治疗提供相关参考。.