The effect of human MSCs on gene expression, methylation and secretory levels of inflammatory cytokines in PBMCs of patients with Covid-19

Abstract

Since 2019, the pandemic of the COVID-19 virus has caused the death of a large number of people. Since then, various treatment methods have been proposed to treat these patients. In this study, we investigated the effect of mesenchymal stem cells on gene expression, promoter methylation and the release of inflammatory cytokines by peripheral blood mononuclear cells of covid patients as a therapeutic method. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 5 cc of peripheral blood was taken from 20 patients with COVID-19 in order to isolate PBMC. After sampling and isolating mononuclear cells (PBMC) from them, the level of gene expression, methylation and the level of secretion of cytokines IL-6-IL-18, IFN-γ and TNF-α respectively using the method RT-PCR and ELISA were measured before and after co-culture with human MSCs. Finally, Graphpad Prism software was used for data analysis, and p<0.05 is considered as a significant level. Results: Based on our results, after co-cultivation, the gene expression and secretory level of inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood PBMC of patients decreased significantly. The methylation level of all inflammatory cytokine genes also increased after co-cultivation, which is significant in a number of genes.