Furthermore, Shigemura et al. [44, 45] reported that autologous transplantation of adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ASCs) to remnant lungs after lung volume reduction surgery for emphysema in a rat model resulted in enhanced alveolar and vascular regeneration through inducing hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) expression selectively in injured lung tissues. Here, HGF is linked to pulmonary emphysema.