Evaluation of the effects of human mesenchymal stem cell cells (MSCs) on differentiation and function of Th17 cells in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the most common cause of death and disability caused by lung diseases. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been identified as one of the possible strategies for the treatment of COPD. As a result, the present study, for the first time, seeks to investigate the regulatory effects of MSC cells on the activity of PBMC cells and Th-17 cell subset of COPD patients. Methods: From 10 patients with COPD, 5 cc of blood containing anticoagulant was taken in order to isolate PBMC. The isolated PBMCs were treated with human mesenchymal stem cells and finally, the immunomodulatory effects of MSCs on PBMCs and especially the Th17 cell subtype were evaluated by ELISA, real time PCR and flow cytometry methods. Results: In peripheral blood cells after treatment with MSCs, the amount of IL-17 protein and mRNA was significantly reduced compared to the condition before treatment (P < 0.05). In addition, IL-22 protein and mRNA expression levels in peripheral blood cells before and after treatment with MSCs were significantly reduced (P < 0.05). The level of IL-23 protein expression in peripheral blood cells before and after treatment with MSCs was investigated. The results showed that the protein expression level of this factor also decreased significantly after treatment with MSCs (P < 0.05). In addition, the mRNA expression level of RORt factor in peripheral blood cells before and after treatment with MSCs showed that the expression level of this factor decreased significantly after treatment (P = 0.0004). The frequency of Th17 (CD4+ cells) after PBMC treatment with MSC (2.47±1.07) was significantly lower than before treatment (3.905±1.32), which shows a statistically significant difference.