Interference research of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on the pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis rats / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective@#To explore the effect of the umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells(UC-MSCs) on the pulmonary fibrosis in silicosis rats.@*Methods@#SPF male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, silica model group and UC-MSCs treatment group with 12 rats each group. SiO2 intra-tracheal injection(0.5 ml of 50 mg/ml/rat) were applied to silica model group and UC-MSCs treatment groups. After that UC-MSCs treatment group received 1 ml UC-MSCs suspension (3×106 cells/ml) by tail vein injection on the 29th, 36th, 43th and 50th day after exposure to the first silica suspension. On the 60th and 75th day after exposure to silica suspension, all animals were examed for pulmonary CT. Then the rats were euthanized on 75th day after the first exposure to silica.Lung's histopathological examination of the rats from all the groups were carried out. The content of hydroxyproline in lungs, TGF-β1 and IL-6 in serum were examined.@*Results@#The lung's histopathological examination showed no obvious inflammatory cell and no fibrosis in the lung tissue of the control group, there were a lot of inflammatory cell aggregation and collagen fiber deposition in silica model group, while in the UC-MSCs intervention group and treatment group, there were less inflammatory cells and collagen fiber. The rats from silica model groups had higher HYP, TGF-β1 and IL-6 than the rats from UC-MSCs treatment group and control group. Lung fields of rats in the control group were clear and no obvious high-density shadow. Different-sized granular high-density shadows or reticular fibrous shadows were found diffusely distributed in the lungs of the rats in silica model group. Lung field of rats in UC-MSCs intervention group and treatment group were less high density shadows, and more clear.@*Conclusion@#UC-MSCs can alleviate the pulmonary fibrosis in silica model rats through regulating the secretion of some fibrosis related cytokines.