Abstract
BackgroundSjögren's syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by sicca syndrome and/or systemic manifestations. The disease severely affects the health and life of patients, and the treatment of SS has always been a clinical challenge and essentially palliative. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been reported to exert immunomodulatory effects and as a potential novel therapeutic strategy for SS. Labial gland-derived MSCs (LGMSCs) are a population of resident stem cells in the labial gland, first isolated by our group. Exosomes released by MSCs contain a large variety of bioactive molecules and considered to function as an extension of MSCs.MethodsLGMSCs were isolated from patients who were needed surgery to remove the lip mucocele and LGMSCs derived exosomes (LGMSC-Exos) were isolated by ultracentrifugation. The non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice were treated with LGMSCs or LGMSC-Exos by tail vein injection. The saliva flow rate of mice was determined and salivary glands were dissected and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. In vitro, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from SS patients were cocultured with LGMSCs or LGMSC-Exos. Percentage of T helper 17 (Th17) cells and regulatory T (Treg) cells were determined by flow cytometry. The serum levels of cytokines in NOD mice and in the supernatant of the co-culture system by ELISA.ResultsTreatment with LGMSCs or LGMSC-Exos reduced inflammatory infiltration in the salivary glands, and restored salivary gland secretory function in NOD mice. Importantly, LGMSCs or LGMSC-Exos were demonstrated to inhibit the differentiation of Th17 cells but promote the induction of Treg cells in NOD mice and PBMCs from SS patients in vitro, accompanied by reduced interleukin 17 (IL-17), interferon gamma, and IL-6 levels and enhanced transforming growth factor beta and IL-10 secretion by T cells.ConclusionsLGMSCs are potential candidates for MSCs-based therapy and LGMSC-Exos might be utilized for establishing a new cell-free therapy against SS.
Highlights
Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic systemic rheumatic disease characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration into the exocrine glands, including salivary and lacrimal glands, and results in progressive loss of secretory function [1, 2]
The immunogenicity of Labial gland-derived MSCs (LGMSCs) was detected via flow cytometry, and the results showed that the expression of surface costimulatory molecules, namely, CD80, CD86, and HLA-DR was all low or not expressed (Fig. 1B), indicating low immunogenicity of LGMSCs
IL-6 participates in driving T helper 17 (Th17) differentiation with or without Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and the results showed that the serum levels of IL-6 were reduced in Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)- and exosome-treated groups compared to those in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS)-treated controls (Fig. 4E)
Summary
Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic systemic rheumatic disease characterized by lymphoplasmacytic infiltration into the exocrine glands, including salivary and lacrimal glands, and results in progressive loss of secretory function [1, 2]. In addition to sicca syndrome due to chronic inflammation of glandular tissue, systemic manifestations occur in 30%–40% of patients with pSS, and the risk of B-cell lymphoma is markedly increased by 15–20 times among these patients when compared with that in the general population [4]. The widespread prevalence, the diverse clinical picture of the disease, and the coexistence with lymphoma conferring to the patients’ morbidity and mortality creates an urgency to establish effective therapeutic strategies for SS. Sjögren’s syndrome (SS) is a chronic, systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by sicca syndrome and/or systemic manifestations.
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