This invention encompasses methods, pharmaceutical compositions, and kits, which utilize umbilical cord tissue-derived cells, for modulating (e.g. reducing) the production of pro-inflammatory mediators involved in the pathology of a lung disease, disorder, and/or injury in a patient having the lung disease, disorder, and/or injury. The invention also encompasses methods, pharmaceutical compositions, and kits, which utilize umbilical cord tissue-derived cells, for inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory mediators involved in the pathology of a lung disease, disorder, and/or injury in a patient having the lung disease, disorder, and/or injury utilizing umbilical cord tissue-derived cells. In one embodiment, the umbilical cord tissue-derived cells are isolated from human umbilical cord tissue substantially free of blood, are capable of self-renewal and expansion in culture, lack the production of CD117 or CD45, and do not express hTERT or telomerase.La presente invención se refiere a células derivadas de tejido de cordón umbilical para usarse en el tratamiento de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (COPD) mediante la reducción de la producción de uno o más mediadores proinflamatorios implicados en la patología de COPD, en donde el uno o más mediadores proinflamatorios se seleccionan del grupo que consiste de TNFa, RANTES, IL-1ß y combinaciones de los mismos, y en donde las células son aisladas de tejido de cordón umbilical humano sustancialmente libre de sangre, son capaces de autorrenovarse y de expansión en cultivo, carecen de la producción de CD117 y CD45, y no expresan hTERT o telomerasa.
