Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant activities of mesenchymal stem cells in chemically induced arthritic rats.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been extensively used as cell-based treatments for decades due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and healing abilities. The intent of our study was to determine the efficacy of MSCs in alleviating rheumatoid arthritis (RA) induced by Complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) and to investigate the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics of MSCs. Intrapedally injecting 0.1 ml of CFA directly into the footpad of the right hind paw daily for 2days was used to induce RA. Arthritic rats received four doses of MSCs (1 × 106 cells/rat/dose) intravenously through the lateral tail vein. Our results showed that arthritic rats treated with MSCs exhibited reduced levels of paw edema. Furthermore, arthritic rats treated with MSCs exhibiteda significant decreasein the levels of RF, CRP,IL-1β,TNF-α,IL-17 andADAMTS-5, along witha significant increasein thelevels of IL-4 and TIMP-3. Additionally, MSCs significantly reduced the expression of TGF-β. Both the glutathione (GSH) content and antioxidant activity of GST were enhanced by MSCs, while LPO levels were suppressed. These findings provide further evidence that MSCs are valuable in treating RA, possibly due to their anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. Thus, MSCs have potential as a more effective therapeutic strategy for treatingRA.