Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have reported stem cell transplantation in repairing chronic enteritis-induced damaged tissue, but the therapeutic mechanism remains unclear.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the distribution and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in the colon of ulcerative colitis rats, and the repair effect on rat colon mucosa.
METHODS: 1×10⁶ rat BMSCs at passage 3 were labeled by Hoechst 33342 fluorescence, and then implanted into the rats with ulcerative colitis via caudal vein. The specimen was collected at 3, 7 and 14 days following transplantation.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Fluorescently labeled BMSCs were visible in the colic mucosa of rats on day 3 following transplantation. On day 14, the number of BMSCs in the colon was abundant, and some cytokeratin-positive BMSCs could be seen in colon. At 14 days, interleukin-10 expression was increased, tumor necrosis factor alpha expression was reduced in the colon mucosa of rats with ulcerative colitis, and the pathological damage was obviously improved in the colon mucosa. These suggest that transplanted BMSCs could migrate to colonic ulcer site, differentiate into the epithelium, and promote the healing of injured colic mucosa in ulcerative colitis rats by regulating inflammatory factor expression.