Stem cells from human-exfoliated deciduous teeth reduce tissue-infiltrating inflammatory cells improving clinical signs in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Abstract

Stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED) have great therapeutic potential and here, by the first time, we evaluated their immunomodulatory effect on experimental model of autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). Specifically, we investigated the effect of SHED administration on clinical signs and cellular patterns in EAE model using Foxp3 GFP + transgenic mice (C57Bl/6-Foxp3GFP). The results showed that SHED infusion ameliorated EAE clinical score with reduced number of infiltrating IFN-γ⁺CD8⁺, IL-4⁺CD8⁺, IFN-γ⁺CD4⁺ and IL-4⁺CD4⁺ T cells into the central nervous system (CNS). In addition, we observed that SHED promoted a significant increase in CD4⁺FOXP3+ T cells population in the spleen of EAE-affected animals. Taken together, our results provide strong evidence that SHED can modulate peripherally the CD4⁺ T cell responses suggesting that SHED would be explored as part of cellular therapy in autoimmune diseases associated with CNS.

Keywords: Dental pulp stem cells; EAE; Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis; Immunomodulation; Multiple sclerosis; SHED.