Adipose-derived stem cells therapy effectively attenuates PM2.5-induced lung injury
Junling Gao, Jun-Tao Yuan, Qun Liu, Yuanli Wang, Huiwen Wang, Yingjie Chen, Wenjun Ding, Guangju Ji, Zhongbing Lu
Abstract
Abstract Background The adverse health effects of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5 ) exposure are associated with marked inflammatory responses. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) have immunosuppressive effects, and ADSC transplantation could attenuate pulmonary fibrosis in different animal disease models. However, whether ADSCs affect PM 2.5 -induced lung injury has not been investigated. Method C57BL/6 mice were exposed to PM 2.5 every other day via intratracheal instillation for 4 weeks. After that, the mice received tail vein injections of ADSCs every 2 weeks. Results ADSC transplantation significantly attenuated systemic and pulmonary inflammation, cardiac dysfunction, fibrosis, and cell death in PM 2.5 -exposed mice. RNA-sequencing results and bioinformatic analysis suggested that the downregulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were mainly enriched in inflammatory and immune pathways. Moreover, ADSC transplantation attenuated PM 2.5 -induced cell apoptosis and pyroptosis in the lungs and hearts. Conclusion ADSCs protect against PM 2.5 -induced adverse health effects through attenuating pulmonary inflammation and cell death. Our findings suggest that ADSC transplantation may be a potential therapeutic approach for severe air pollution-associated diseases.