Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells alleviate nasal mucosa radiation damage in a guinea pig model

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomal microRNA-181a retards nasopharyngeal carcinoma development by mediating KDM5C

OBJECTIVE

It has been studied that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived exosomes could suppress tumor growth in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and microRNA-181a (miR-181a) could mediate drug resistance in NPC. Focused on this work, the mechanism of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs)-derived exosomal miR-181a was explored in NPC cell progression.

METHODS

NPC tissues and normal tissues were obtained from patients, and miR-181a and KDM5C expression was examined. hUC-MSCs-derived exosomes were extracted, identified and co-cultured with NPC cells (C666-1 and SUNE1). C666-1 cell progression in vitro and/or tumor growth in vivo were examined after incubation with exosomes, miR-181a or lysine-specific demethylase 5C (KDM5C). miR-181a and KDM5C expression were examined in NPC.

RESULTS

miR-181a expression was reduced while KDM5C expression was elevated in NPC. hUC-MSCs-derived exosomes restrained NPC cell growth in vivo and in vitro. Depleting or restoring exosomal miR-181a promoted or delayed NPC cell progression. KDM5C silencing suppressed NPC cell progression.

CONCLUSION

This study concluded that hUC-MSCs-derived exosomal miR-181a retards NPC development via negatively modulating KDM5C, serving as a candidate reference for the therapy of NPC.

Dosimetric parameters predict radiation-induced choanal stenosis in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Radiation-induced choanal stenosis (RICS) severely decreases life quality of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and originates from nasal mucositis, which depends on radiation dose. This self-controlled study aimed to find the correlations between dosimetric parameters and RICS.

METHODS

Totally 49 NPC patients treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy from May 2010 to Aug. 2013 and diagnosed with RICS during follow-up were enrolled into this study. Minimum point dose, maximum point dose, mean dose (Dmean), dose covering ≥33% volume (D33), dose covering ≥66% volume (D66), and volume receiving ≥60 Gy (V60) were compared between the nasal cavities with and without RICS, through paired t-test. The parameters with difference would enter receiver operating characteristic analysis to determine their cutoff values. Then predicting abilities of the cutoff values were tested by Chi-square test.

RESULT

The nasal cavities with RICS appeared to have higher Dmean, D33, D66 and V60, compared with those without RICS (P values were 0.014, 0.003, 0.006 and 0.010). Dmean ≥54.22 Gy, D33 ≥ 61.96 Gy, D66 ≥ 46.50 Gy and V60 ≥ 48.13% were demonstrated to be related with a higher risk of RICS.

CONCLUSION

Dmean, D33, D66 and V60 of nasal cavity might be used as predictors of RICS. Their values needed to be controlled whenever possible, for ameliorating life quality of NPC patients.

The pathogenesis of mucositis: updated perspectives and emerging targets

Mucositis research and treatment are a rapidly evolving field providing constant new avenues of research and potential therapies. The MASCC/ISOO Mucositis Study Group regularly assesses available literature relating to pathogenesis, mechanisms, and novel therapeutic approaches and distils this to summary perspectives and recommendations. Reviewers assessed 164 articles published between January 2011 and June 2016 to identify progress made since the last review and highlight new targets for further investigation. Findings were organized into sections including established and emerging mediators of toxicity, potential insights from technological advances in mucositis research, and perspective. Research momentum is accelerating for mucositis pathogenesis, and with this has come utilization of new models and interventions that target specific mechanisms of injury. Technological advances have the potential to revolutionize the field of mucositis research, although focused effort is needed to move rationally targeted interventions to the clinical setting.

Conditioned medium from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells improves nasal mucosa damage by radiation

OBJECTIVES

To explore therapeutic effects of conditioned medium from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) on nasal mucosa radiation damage both in vivo and in vitro.

RESULTS

The mucus cilia clearance time (7 and 30 days), degree of mucosal edema (7, 30, 90 and 180 days), cilia coverage (180 days) of concentrated conditioned medium group improved compared with radiotherapy control group. The proliferation and migration abilities of irradiated and non-irradiated nasal epithelial cells significantly increased after culture in bronchial epithelial cell growth medium (BEGM) containing 10% conditioned medium of hUC-MSCs compared to cells cultured in BEGM alone.

CONCLUSIONS

Soluble factors secreted by hUC-MSCs may promote nasal epithelial cell proliferation and migration. Intranasal administration of hUC-MSC conditioned medium effectively repairs nasal mucosa radiation damage.

Allogeneic guinea pig mesenchymal stem cells ameliorate neurological changes in experimental colitis

Background

The use of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is of great interest because of their immunomodulatory properties. Damage to the enteric nervous system (ENS) is implicated in IBD pathophysiology and disease progression. The most commonly used model to study inflammation-induced changes to the ENS is 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene-sulfonate acid (TNBS)-induced colitis in guinea pigs; however, no studies using guinea pig MSCs in colitis have been performed. This study aims to isolate and characterise guinea pig MSCs and then test their therapeutic potential for the treatment of enteric neuropathy associated with intestinal inflammation.

Methods

MSCs from guinea pig bone marrow and adipose tissue were isolated and characterised in vitro. In in vivo experiments, guinea pigs received either TNBS for the induction of colitis or sham treatment by enema. MSCs were administered at a dose of 1 × 10⁶ cells via enema 3 h after the induction of colitis. Colon tissues were collected 24 and 72 h after TNBS administration to assess the level of inflammation and damage to the ENS. The secretion of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) was analysed in MSC conditioned medium by flow cytometry.

Results

Cells isolated from both sources were adherent to plastic, multipotent and expressed some human MSC surface markers. In vitro characterisation revealed distinct differences in growth kinetics, clonogenicity and cell morphology between MSC types. In an in vivo model of TNBS-induced colitis, guinea pig bone marrow MSCs were comparatively more efficacious than adipose tissue MSCs in attenuating weight loss, colonic tissue damage and leukocyte infiltration into the mucosa and myenteric plexus. MSCs from both sources were equally neuroprotective in the amelioration of enteric neuronal loss and changes to the neurochemical coding of neuronal subpopulations. MSCs from both sources secreted TGF-β1 which exerted neuroprotective effects in vitro.

Conclusions

This study is the first evaluating the functional capacity of guinea pig bone marrow and adipose tissue-derived MSCs and providing evidence of their neuroprotective value in an animal model of colitis. In vitro characteristics of MSCs cannot be extrapolated to their therapeutic efficacy. TGF-β1 released by both types of MSCs might have contributed to the attenuation of enteric neuropathy associated with colitis.

Hepatocyte Growth Factor Gene-Modified Mesenchymal Stem Cells Augment Sinonasal Wound Healing

This study was designed to investigate the effects of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) transgenic mesenchymal stem cells (HGF-MSCs) on wound healing in the sinonasal mucosa and nasal epithelial cells (NECs). We also sought to determine whether HGF-MSCs and MSCs can migrate into the injured mucosa and differentiate into ciliated cells. Human HGF-overexpressing umbilical cord MSCs (hHGF-UCMSCs) were established, and upregulation of hHGF expression was confirmed by real-time PCR (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA). To investigate the paracrine effect of human MSCs (hMSCs) on nasal epithelial repair, hMSC- and HGF-MSC-conditioned media (CM) were used in NEC proliferation assays and in an in vitro scratch-wound repair model. The in vivo sinonasal wound-healing model was established, and all enrolled rabbits were randomly assigned to four groups: the GFP-MSC group, the HGF-MSC group, the Ad-HGF group, and the surgery control group. The average decreased diameter was recorded, and the medial wall of the maxillary sinus was removed for histological analysis and scanning electron microscopy. Collagen deposition in the wound tissue was detected via Masson trichrome (M&T) staining. The distribution of MSCs and HGF-MSCs was observed by immunofluorescence. MSCs improved nasal wound healing both in vivo and in vitro. HGF overexpression in MSCs augmented the curative effects. Reduced collagen deposition and transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-β1) expression were detected in the HGF-MSC group compared with the MSC-, Ad-HGF-, and phosphate-buffered saline-treated groups based on M&T staining and ELISA. The enhanced therapeutic effects of HGF-MSCs were accompanied by decreased level of the fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β1. In addition, both HGF-MSCs and MSCs can migrate to the injured mucosa and epithelial layer.