Fig. 1

Hypothesis of the MSCs action in BPD. Exogenous MSCs (yellow) interact with the immature lung tissue (upper lung schema diseased endogenous lung MSCs gray, thick mesenchymal layer forming the primary septa, containing two layers of capillaries (red) distant from the epithelium) and secrete exosomes and cytokines and transfer mitochondria (left handed site). This protects and rescues lung development, driving the maturation of the mesenchyme with healthy endogenous MSCs (blue), formation of secondary septa and thinning of the blood-air barrier (lower lung schema)