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This study was designed to assess whether the protective effects of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) against diabetes could be enhanced by pioglitazone (PIO), a PPARγ agonist. Combined MSCs and PIO treatments markedly improved fasting blood glucose, body weight, lipid profile levels, insulin level, insulin resistance, β cell function. Those protective effects also attenuated both pancreatic lesions and fibrosis in diabetic rats and decreased the depletion of pancreatic mediators of glycemic and lipid metabolism including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα), PGC-1α, GLP-1 and IRS-2. Cardiac biogenesis of diabetic groups was also improved with MSCs and/or PIO treatments as reflected by the enhanced up-regulation of the expressions of cardiac IRS1, Glucose transporter 4, PGC-1, PPARα and CPT-1 genes and the down-regulated expression of lipogenic gene SREBP. The combination of MSCs and PIO also potentiated the decrease of abnormal myocardial pathological lesions in diabetic rats. Similarly, the inhibitory effects of MSCs on diabetic cardiac fibrosis and on the up regulations of TGF-β, collagen I and III gene expressions were partial but additive when combined with PIO. Therefore, combined therapy with PIO and BMCs transplantation could further potentiate the protective benefit of MSCs against diabetes and cardiac damage compared to MSCs monotherapy.

The present study examined the therapeutic effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) in methotrexate (MTX)-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats as compared with dexamethasone (Dex). MTX (14 mg/kg, as a single dose/week for 2 weeks, p.o.) induced lung fibrosis as marked by elevation of relative lung weight, malondialdehyde, nitrite/nitrate, interleukin-4, transforming growth factor-β1, deposited collagen, as well as increased expression of Bax along with the reduction of reduced glutathione content and superoxide dismutase activity. These deleterious effects were antagonized after treatment either with BM-MSCs or AD-MSCs (2 × 10(6) cells/rat) 2 weeks after MTX to even a better extent than Dex (0.5 mg/kg/ for 7 days, p.o.). In conclusion, BM-MSC and AD-MSCs possessed antioxidant, antiapoptotic, as well as antifibrotic effects, which will probably introduce them as remarkable candidates for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) curative effects on methotrexate (MTX)-induced kidney and liver injuries remain elusive. Therefore, rats were divided into five groups, rats received MTX orally (14 mg/kg) as a single dose/week for 2 weeks, groups 3 and 4 were injected once with 2 × 10 cells bone marrow MSCs and adipose-derived MSCs, respectively. The last group administered dexamethasone (DEX) (0.5 mg/kg, p.o) for 7 days. MTX caused marked increase in malondialdehyde and nitrite/nitrate concentrations. However, MTX administration decreased reduced glutathione content plus catalase activity. In addition, MTX caused a significant increment in kidney and liver biomarkers levels. Moreover, MTX showed renal tubules vacuolation and necrosis of hepatocytes, as well expression of caspase-3 and nuclear factor kappa beta in kidney and liver tissues were observed. MSCs treatment alleviated previous side effects induced by MTX. MSCs improved nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity induced by MTX to a better extent as compared with DEX.

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