Therapeutic effect of dental pulp stem cell transplantation on a rat model of radioactivity-induced esophageal injury

Chunwei Zhang,Zhenning Feng,Yichi Zhang,Shizhu Jin,Zishuai Liu,Xiaoli Sun,Feifei Zhang,Mengting Ruan,Mingna Liu

doi:10.1038/s41419-018-0753-0

Abstract

Dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) transplantation has been demonstrated to promote the regeneration and repair of tissues and organs and is a potentially effective treatment for radioactive esophageal injury. In this study, to explore the therapeutic effects of DPSCs on acute radiation-induced esophageal injury, DPSCs were cultured and transplanted into rats with acute radioactive esophageal injuries induced by radioactive 125I seeds in vivo. In the injured esophagus, PKH26-labeled DPSCs co-localized with PCNA, CK14, CD71, and integrin α6, and the expression levels of these four makers of esophageal stem cells were significantly increased. After DPSC transplantation, the injured esophagus exhibited a greater thickness. In addition, the esophageal function and inflammation recovered faster. The results demonstrated that transplanted DPSCs, which trans-differentiated into esophageal stem cells in vivo, could repair the damaged esophageal tissue.

Highlights

Chemoradiotherapy is the established standard treatment for locally advanced tumors of the head, neck, and lung
We observed that the esophageal mucosa became swollen after 5 days of exposure to radiation in the model group
The suprabasal compartment included multiple layers of polyhedral cells with spherical nuclei, above which existed a granular layer that was equal to the esophageal epithelial surface of the degenerating nuclei

Summary

Introduction

Chemoradiotherapy is the established standard treatment for locally advanced tumors of the head, neck, and lung. Severe toxicities, such as acute radioactive esophageal injury, can develop within 3 weeks of radiation therapy and often cause unexpected complications[1,2]. Acute radioactive esophageal injury is generally treated symptomatically with chemical agents[6,7] Some of these agents, including amifostine, manganese superoxide dismutase-plasmid liposome, glutamine, recombinant human granulocytemacrophage colony-stimulating factor and epidermal growth factor, have been reported to relieve radiation injuries in clinical and preclinical settings[8,9]. Compared to bone marrow SCs and other SCs, Official journal of the Cell Death Differentiation Association

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