The potential therapeutic effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. major in BALB/c mice

• Published in: Experimental parasitology 2021-03, Vol.222, p.108063-108063, Article 108063
• Main Authors: Bahrami, Somayeh, Safari, Moslem, Razi Jalali, Mohammad Hossein, Ghorbanpoor, Masoud, Tabandeh, Mohammad Reza, Rezaie, Annahita
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells; Analysis of Variance; Animals; Arginase - genetics; Arginase - metabolism; BALB/c mice; Cutaneous leishmaniasis; Cytokines; Down-Regulation; Female; Forkhead Transcription Factors - genetics; Forkhead Transcription Factors - metabolism; Gene Expression; Interleukin-10 - genetics; Interleukin-10 - metabolism; Interleukin-12 - genetics; Interleukin-12 - metabolism; Interleukin-4 - genetics; Interleukin-4 - metabolism; Leishmania major; Leishmaniasis, Cutaneous - therapy; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - immunology; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th1 response; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - genetics; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Up-Regulation
• ISSN: 0014-4894; 1090-2449
• DOI: 10.1016/j.exppara.2020.108063

Leishmaniasis is one of the most neglected tropical infectious diseases in the world. The emergence of drug resistance and toxicity and the high cost of the available drugs with a lack of new anti-leishmanial drugs highlight the need to search for newer therapies with anti-leishmanial activities. Due to the mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) immunomodulatory capacity, they have been applied in a wide variety of disorders. In this study, the potential effects of adipose-derived MSC (AD-MSCs) therapy and its combination with glucantime were evaluated in a murine model of cutaneous leishmaniasis induced by L. major. The results showed that AD-MSCs improved wound healing and decreased parasite burden. The real-time PCR results obtained from mice treated with AD-MSCs showed that IL-12 and TNF-α genes were upregulated. IL-10, arginase, and FOXP3 genes were downregulated whereas no differences in expression of the IL-4 gene were found. Overall, it seems that AD-MSCs therapy enhances Th1 immune response in L. major infected BALB/c mice. Unexpectedly, our results showed that the association of glucantime to AD-MSCs treatments did not lead to an increment in the anti-leishmanial activity. [Display omitted] •AD-MSCs improved wound healing and decreased parasite burden.•AD-MSCs therapy enhances Th1 immune response in L. major infected BALB/c mice.•Association of glucantime to AD-MSCs treatments did not lead to an increment in the anti-leishmanial activity.