Title:Effect of Calcitriol Treated Mesenchymal Stem Cells as an Immunomodulation
Micro-environment on Allergic Asthma in a Mouse Model
Volume: 23
Issue: 8
Author(s): Majdedin Ghalavand, Hadi Esmaeili Gouvarchin Ghaleh, Mostafa Khafaei, Mahdi Paryan, Bahman Jalali Kondori, Majid Mirzaei Nodoushan, Soheil Vazifedust and Samira Mohammadi-Yeganeh*
Affiliation:
- Medical Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of
Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine,
Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
Cell therapy, experimental asthma, calcitriol, mesenchymal, stem cells, ovalbumin.
Abstract:
Background: Allergic asthma is a chronic inflammatory illness of the respiratory system
characterized by an increase in the number of inflammatory cells in the airways and trouble breathing.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential to be used in inflammatory diseases as a
cellular immunosuppressive treatment. They express calcitriol receptors and communicate with other
immunocytes, which increases their anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed to determine the
effects of calcitriol-treated MSC treatment on allergic asthma pathways in a mouse model.
Methods: To generate a mouse model of asthma, the mice were sensitized intraperitoneally with
ovalbumin (OVA) and aluminum hydroxide emulsion and then challenged intra-nasally with OVA.
On day 14, experimental mice received tail vein injections of calcitriol-treated MSCs in PBS prior
to allergen exposure. The cytokines assays including IL-4, 10, 12, 17, TGF-β and IFN-γ, splenocytes
proliferation, and histological examination of lungs samples were performed. The mice were sensitized
with OVA and the response to dexamethasone treatment was compared.
Results: Calcitriol-treated MSCs significantly increased the levels of IL-12, TGF-β, and IFN-γ compared
to non-treated MSCs groups. Moreover, calcitriol-treated and non-treated MSCs significantly
decreased IL-4 and IL-17 compared to asthmatic groups. The results of the histopathological examination
showed that calcitriol-treated MSCs reduced the accumulation of inflammatory cells and
bronchial wall thickening in comparison with the asthma group.
Conclusion: Using the allergic asthma model, we were able to show that calcitriol-treated MSCs
had an inhibitory impact on airway inflammation. Our findings suggest that the injection of calcitrioltreated
MSCs may be a viable treatment option for allergic asthma.
