Ameliorative Potential of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Versus Prednisolone in a Rat Model of Lung Fibrosis: A Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Biochemical Study

Amany Mohamed Shalaby; Shaimaa Mohamed Abdelfattah Hassan; Hanim Magdy Abdelnour; Sulaiman Mohammed Alnasser; Mohammed Alorini; Fatima A Jaber; Mohamed Ali Alabiad; Asmaa Abdullatif; Mohamed Mahmoud Abdelrahim Elshaer; Seham Ahmed Mohammed Abdel Aziz; Eman M A Abdelghany

doi:10.1093/mam/ozae043

Ameliorative Potential of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Versus Prednisolone in a Rat Model of Lung Fibrosis: A Histological, Immunohistochemical, and Biochemical Study

Microsc Microanal. 2024 May 17:ozae043. doi: 10.1093/mam/ozae043. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta 31527, Egypt.
² Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin El Koum 32511, Egypt.
³ Department of Anatomy, General Medicine Practice Program, Batterjee Medical College, Aseer 61961, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Human Medicine, Zagazig University, 44519 Egypt.
⁵ Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, Qassim University, Qassim 51452, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Qassim University, Unaizah 51911, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Department of Biological Sciences, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.
⁹ Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11591, Egypt.
¹⁰ Department of Human Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44519, Egypt.

PMID: 38758132
DOI: 10.1093/mam/ozae043

Abstract

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive lung disease of unknown origin with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. The encouraging findings from preclinical investigations utilizing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) indicated that they could serve as a promising therapeutic alternative for managing chronic lung conditions, such as IPF. The objective of this study was to compare the efficiency of bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs) versus prednisolone, the standard anti-inflammatory medication, in rats with bleomycin (BLM)-induced lung fibrosis. Four groups were created: a control group, a BLM group, a prednisolone-treated group, and a BM-MSCs-treated group. To induce lung fibrosis, 5 mg/kg of BLM was administered intratracheally. BLM significantly increased serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress markers. The disturbed lung structure was also revealed by light and transmission electron microscopic studies. Upregulation in the immune expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin, transforming growth factor beta-1, and Bax was demonstrated. Interestingly, all findings significantly regressed on treatment with prednisolone and BM-MSCs. However, treatment with BM-MSCs showed better results than with prednisolone. In conclusion, BM-MSCs could be a promising approach for managing lung fibrosis.

Keywords: TGF-β1; bleomycin; lung fibrosis; mesenchymal stem cells; α-SMA.

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