title: Mast Cells in Lung Homeostasis: Beyond Type I Hypersensitivity.
abstract: Lungs are indispensable organs for the respiratory process, and maintaining their homeostasis is essential for human health and survival. However, during the lifetime of an individual, the lungs suffer countless insults that put at risk their delicate organization and function. Many cells of the immune system participate to maintain this equilibrium and to keep functional lungs. Among these cells, mast cells have recently attracted attention because of their ability to rapidly secrete many chemical and biological mediators that modulate different processes like inflammation, angiogenesis, cell proliferation, etc. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the understanding of the role that mast cells play in lung protection during infections, and of the relation of mast cell responses to type I hypersensitivity-associated pathologies. Furthermore, we discuss the potential role of mast cells during wound healing in the lung and its association with lung cancer, and how mast cells could be exploited as therapeutic targets in some diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campillo-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Basic Research Division, National Cancer Institute (INCAN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Alma D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Chávez-Blanco
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wong-Baeza
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Jeanet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Serafín-López
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Superior School of Medicine, National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Raúl
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Flores-Mejía
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Estrada-Parra
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Estrada-García
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National School of Biological Sciences (ENCB), National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico City, Mexico.
authors.forename: Rommel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chacón-Salinas
keywords: Allergic inflammation; cancer; lungs; mast cells; pathogens; wound healing.