Characterization of in vitro expanded bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells isolated from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice

CNS disease diminishes the therapeutic functionality of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as a potentially powerful cellular therapy for autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis (MS). Based on their success in treating animal models of MS like experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), MSCs have moved rapidly into clinical trials for MS. The majority of these trials use autologous MSCs derived from MS patients, although it remains unclear how CNS disease may affect these cells. Here, we report that bone marrow MSCs derived from EAE mice lack therapeutic efficacy compared to naïve MSCs in their ability to ameliorate EAE. Treatment with conditioned medium from EAE-MSCs also fails to modulate EAE, and EAE-MSCs secrete higher levels of many pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to naïve MSCs. Similarly, MSCs derived from MS patients have less therapeutic efficacy than naïve MSCs in treating EAE and secrete higher levels of some of the same pro-inflammatory cytokines. Thus diseases like EAE and MS diminish the therapeutic functionality of bone marrow MSCs, prompting reevaluation about the ongoing use of autologous MSCs as a treatment for MS.

Modulation of host immune responses following non-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Translational implications in progressive multiple sclerosis

There exists an urgent need for effective treatments for those patients suffering from chronic/progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Accordingly, it has become readily apparent that different classes of stem cell-based therapies must be explored at both the basic science and clinical levels. Herein, we provide an overview of the basic mechanisms underlying the pre-clinical benefits of exogenously delivered non-hematopoietic stem cells (nHSCs) in animal models of MS. Further, we highlight a number of early clinical trials in which nHSCs have been used to treat MS. Finally, we identify a series of challenges that must be met and ultimately overcome if such promising therapeutics are to be advanced from the bench to the bedside.

Shrinkage-mediated imaging of entire organs and organisms using uDISCO

Recent tissue-clearing approaches have become important alternatives to standard histology approaches. However, light scattering in thick tissues and the size restrictions on samples that can be imaged with standard light-sheet microscopy pose limitations for analyzing large samples such as an entire rodent body. We developed 'ultimate DISCO' (uDISCO) clearing to overcome these limitations in volumetric imaging. uDISCO preserves fluorescent proteins over months and renders intact organs and rodent bodies transparent while reducing their size up to 65%. We used uDISCO to image neuronal connections and vasculature from head to toe over 7 cm and to perform unbiased screening of transplanted stem cells within the entire body of adult mice. uDISCO is compatible with diverse labeling methods and archival human tissue, and it can readily be used in various biomedical applications to study organization of large organ systems throughout entire organisms.

Mesenchymal stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells as therapies for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system that leads to permanent neurological deficits. Current MS treatment regimens are insufficient to treat the irreversible neurological disabilities. Tremendous progress in the experimental and clinical applications of cell-based therapies has recognized stem cells as potential candidates for regenerative therapy for many neurodegenerative disorders including MS. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSCs) derived precursor cells can modulate the autoimmune response in the central nervous system (CNS) and promote endogenous remyelination and repair process in animal models. This review highlights studies involving the immunomodulatory and regenerative effects of mesenchymal stem cells and iPSCs derived cells in animal models, and their translation into immunomodulatory and neuroregenerative treatment strategies for MS.

Bone mesenchymal stem cells contributed to the neointimal formation after arterial injury

OBJECTIVES

Recent findings suggest that in response to repair-to-injury bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) participate in the process of angiogenesis. It is unclear what role BMSCs play in the structure of the vessel wall. In present study, we aimed to determine whether BMSCs had the capacity of endothelial cells (ECs).

METHODS

BMSCs were separated and cultured. FACS and RT-PCR analysis confirmed the gene expression phenotype. The capacity of migration and adhesion and the ultrastructure of BMSCs were examined. The effect of BMSCs transplantation on the vascular repair was investigated in a murine carotid artery-injured model.

RESULTS

BMSCs could express some markers and form the tube-like structure. The migration and adhesion capacity of BMSCs increased significantly after stimulated. In addition, BMSCs had the intact cell junction. In vivo the local transfer of BMSCs differentiated into neo-endothelial cells in the injury model for carotid artery and contributed to the vascular remodeling.

CONCLUSION

These results showed that BMSCs could contribute to neointimal formation for vascular lesion and might be associated with the differentiation into ECs, which indicated the important therapeutic implications for vascular diseases.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) suppress EAE and have similar biological properties with MSC from healthy donors

Several animal studies and few pilot clinical trials have tested the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and in multiple sclerosis (MS). In almost all of the preclinical studies, healthy animals (or humans) served as donors of the MSCs. This setting does not accurately simulate the clinical situation of autologous transplantation in patients with MS. In the current research we used MSC isolated from mice with EAE in order to mimic human autologous transplantation and to test if the inflammatory process affects the functional properties of MSC. MSC(EAE) were found to retain their mesodermal features (as evidenced by the expression of surface cell markers and their ability to differentiate toward cells of the mesodermal lineage). Moreover, MSC(EAE) were able to support neurite outgrowth in the N2A cell line and to suppress the proliferation of lymphocytes induced by the mitogen phytohaemagglutinin (PHA). Intravenous administration of MSC(EAE) suppressed the clinical course of EAE (0% mortality, disease score 1.09±0.22 vs. 40% mortality and 2.95±0.31 EAE score in saline-treated controls), paralleled by a strong reduction of CNS inflammation and demyelination (9.7±2.79 perivascular cuffs in the treated mice, as compared to 25.8±7.4 in the controls; demyelination area: 1.73±0.3 in MSC(EAE)-treated animals vs. 3.8±0.26 in the controls) and by a significant protection of the axons (axonal density: 1.26±0.24 in the MSC(EAE)-treated animals vs. 3.06±0.38 in the control group). All these beneficial effects were indistinguishable from the effects induced by MSC obtained from healthy syngeneic donors. These data demonstrate that the inflammatory process in EAE does not exert any deleterious effect on the functional/biological properties of the MSC and provide additional support for the use of autologous MSC that are obtained from MS-patients, in future clinical applications.