Dexamethasone and azathioprine promote cytoskeletal changes and affect mesenchymal stem cell migratory behavior

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 10;10(3):e0120538. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0120538. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs are commonly used to treat inflammatory disorders, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and despite a few improvements, the remission of IBD is still difficult to maintain. Due to their immunomodulatory properties, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as regulators of the immune response, and their viability and activation of their migratory properties are essential for successful cell therapy. However, little is known about the effects of immunosuppressant drugs used in IBD treatment on MSC behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate MSC viability, nuclear morphometry, cell polarity, F-actin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) distribution, and cell migratory properties in the presence of the immunosuppressive drugs azathioprine (AZA) and dexamethasone (DEX). After an initial characterization, MSCs were treated with DEX (10 μM) or AZA (1 μM) for 24 hrs or 7 days. Neither drug had an effect on cell viability or nuclear morphometry. However, AZA treatment induced a more elongated cell shape, while DEX was associated with a more rounded cell shape (P < 0.05) with a higher presence of ventral actin stress fibers (P < 0.05) and a decrease in protrusion stability. After 7 days of treatment, AZA improved the cell spatial trajectory (ST) and increased the migration speed (24.35%, P < 0.05, n = 4), while DEX impaired ST and migration speed after 24 hrs and 7 days of treatment (-28.69% and -25.37%, respectively; P < 0.05, n = 4). In conclusion, our data suggest that these immunosuppressive drugs each affect MSC morphology and migratory capacity differently, possibly impacting the success of cell therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Azathioprine / pharmacology*
  • Cell Movement / drug effects*
  • Cell Shape / drug effects
  • Cell Survival
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytoskeleton / metabolism
  • Dexamethasone / pharmacology*
  • Drug Evaluation, Preclinical
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells / physiology*

Substances

  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Dexamethasone
  • Focal Adhesion Kinase 1
  • PTK2 protein, human
  • Azathioprine

Grants and funding

Authors would like to thank FIPE (Fundo de Incentivo à Pesquisa e Eventos) from Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) (#479527/2012-1) and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for research funding support. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.