Mesenchymal stem cell-based angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 in treatment of acute lung injury rat induced by bleomycin

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Acute lung injury (ALI) is a high incidence disease with no effective therapeutic method (mortality rate > 40%). The aim of this study was to find a new and effective therapeutic method for ALI. Methods: After the isolation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) from cesarean fetus, we transfected the HUMSCs with Lenti-ACE2 (angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) viral particles. Then we evaluated the therapeutic effect of HUMSCs harboring ACE2 on ALI, which induced by bleomycin (BLM) in rat model. Results: Our results showed that HUMSCs harboring ACE2 could attenuate ALI degree through reducing pulmonary inflammatory infiltration and degree of vascular permeability, repressing the mRNA level of pro-inflammatory cytokines, activating the mRNA level of anti-inflammatory cytokines and ACE2. Besides, results also demonstrated that HUMSCs harboring ACE2 gene had higher therapeutic effects to ALI than the single factor of HUMSCs or ACE2. Conclusions: This research provided clues for the development of effective therapeutic methods to ALI using stem cell transplantation and gene therapy.