Pulmonary emphysema is characterized by loss of alveolar structure. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to differentiate into alveolar epithelial cells. However, the effect of MSCs transplantation on pulmonary emphysema is unknown. To address this question, cultured bone marrow MSCs from male donor rats were infused into female recipients treated with irradiation and instillation of papain. We found that the emphysematous changes in rats received MSCs transplantation were ameliorated when compared with the rats without MSCs transplantation. Y chromosome fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and immunohistochemical staining for SP-C, confirmed that MSCs engrafted in recipient lungs and differentiated into type II alveolar epithelial cells. Additionally, MSCs transplantation reduced the extent of irradiation and papain-induced alveolar cell apoptosis, likely due to the up-regulation of the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax gene. We conclude that MSCs transplantation protects against the irradiation and papain-induced pulmonary emphysema. The mechanisms of protection may involve the engraftment of MSCs in the lungs, differentiation of MSCs into type II alveolar epithelial cells and suppression of alveolar cell apoptosis.
Asthma is characterized by airway inflammation, mucus overproduction, airway hyperreactivity, and peribronchial fibrosis. Intelectin has been shown to be increased in airway epithelium of asthmatics. However, the role of intelectin in the pathogenesis of asthma is unknown. Airway epithelial cells can secrete chemokines such as monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and -3 that play crucial roles in asthmatic airway inflammation. We hypothesized that intelectin plays a role in allergic airway inflammation by regulating chemokine expression. In a mouse allergic asthma model, we found that mRNA expression of intelectin-2 as well as MCP-1 and -3 in mouse lung was increased very early (within 2 h) after allergen challenge. Expression of intelectin protein was localized to mucous cells in airway epithelium. Treatment of MLE12 mouse lung epithelial cells with interleukin IL-13, a critical mediator of allergic airway disease, induced expression of intelectin-1 and -2 as well as MCP-1 and -3. When IL-13-induced intelectin-1 and -2 expression was inhibited by RNA interference, IL-13-induced extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 phosphorylation and MCP-1 and -3 production by MLE12 cells was inhibited. Furthermore, inhibition of intelectin expression by airway transfection with shRNA targeting intelectin-1 and -2 attenuated allergen-induced airway inflammation. We conclude that intelectin, a molecule expressed by airway epithelial cells and upregulated in asthma, is required for IL-13-induced MCP-1 and -3 production in mouse lung epithelial cells and contributes to allergic airway inflammation.
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