Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis by Mesenchymal Stem Cells

초록

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess immunomodulatory activities, including suppression of T- and B-cell activation. However, their effects on atopic dermatitis (AD) have not yet been studied. Using an ovalbumin-induced AD mouse model, we investigated whether MSCs can be used as therapeutics in AD. We isolated both allogeneic and syngeneic clonal MSCs (cMSCs) from mouse bone marrow according to the subfractionation culturing method. Our cMSCs suppressed both T- and B-cell activation. T-cell proliferation and cytokine production, including interferon (IFN)- and interleukin (IL)-4, were suppressed by inhibition of transcription factors, such as T-bet, GATA-3, and c-Maf. Those transcription factors were nitric oxide dependent. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) suppression occurred through downregulation of AID and BLIMP-1, which are important regulators for isotype class switch and B-cell differentiation. cMSCs were injected intravenously into ovalbumin-induced AD mouse model, and the therapeutic effects were analyzed. Injection of both allogeneic and syngeneic cMSCs in an AD mouse model inhibited cell infiltration in skin lesions and decreased the serum level of IgE. IL-4 expression was also suppressed by cMSCs both in the spleen and skin. cMSCs migrated to skin lesions and draining lymph nodes. Taken together, these data demonstrated that cMSCs, which suppressed T- and B-cell functions, can be used for the treatment of AD in mice.