Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate experimental autoimmune cholangitis through immunosuppression and cytoprotective function mediated by galectin-9.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an anti-inflammatory role by secreting certain bioactive molecules to exert their therapeutic effects for disease treatment. However, the underlying mechanism of MSCs in chronic autoimmune liver diseases-primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), for example-remains to be elucidated.

Methods

Human umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) were injected intravenously into 2-octynoic acid coupled to bovine serum albumin (2OA-BSA)-induced autoimmune cholangitis mice. Serum levels of biomarkers and autoantibodies, histologic changes in the liver, diverse CD4⁺ T-cell subsets in different tissues, and chemokine activities were analyzed. Moreover, we investigated galectin-9 (Gal-9) expression and its function in UC-MSCs.

Results

I

SUBMITTER: Fan J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6142687 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature