title: Testing stem cell therapy in a rat model of inflammatory bowel disease: role of bone marrow stem cells and stem cell factor in mucosal regeneration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal cells turnover regularly under physiological conditions, which may be stimulated in various pathological situations including inflammation. Local epithelial stem cells appear to play a major role in such mucosal renewal or pathological regeneration. Less is clear about the involvement of multipotent stem cells from blood in GI repair. We attempted to explore a role of bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BMMSCs) and soluble stem cell factor (SCF) in GI mucosa regeneration in a rat model of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
  
  
  METHODS
  BMMSCs labelled with the fluorescent dye PKH26 from donor rats were transfused into rats suffering indomethacin-induced GI injury. Experimental effects by BMMSCs transplant and SCF were determined by morphometry of intestinal mucosa, double labeling of PKH26 positive BMMSCs with endogenous proliferative and intestinal cell markers, and western blot and PCR analyses of the above molecular markers in the recipient rats relative to controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PKH26 positive BMMSCs were found in the recipient mucosa, partially colocalizing with the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), Lgr5, Musashi-1 and ephrin-B3. mRNA and protein levels of PCNA, Lgr5, Musashi-1 and ephrin-B3 were elevated in the intestine in BMMSCs-treated rats, most prominent in the BMMSCs-SCF co-treatment group. The mucosal layer and the crypt layer of the small intestine were thicker in BMMSCs-treated rats, more evident in the BMMSCs-SCF co-treatment group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BMMSCs and SCF participate in but may play a synergistic role in mucosal cell regeneration following experimentally induced intestinal injury. Bone marrow stem cell therapy and SCF administration may be of therapeutic value in IBD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Qu
authors.affiliation: Anorectal Department, The First Affiliated Hospital, JiaMuSi Medical University, JiaMuSi, China.
authors.forename: Guo-Rong
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Li-Xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xing
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Li-Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.affiliation: Infections Department, JiaMuSi Central Hospital, JiaMuSi, China.
authors.forename: Hai-Yan
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Jia-Zhao
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Bei-Bei
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, China.
authors.forename: Shi-Zhu
authors.initials: SZ
authors.lastname: Jin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007213:Indomethacin; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D045164:Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D019089:Stem Cell Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D019089:Stem Cell Factor; D007213:Indomethacin