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Tracking intravenous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells in a model of elastase-induced emphysema
You-Sun Kim1, Ji-Young Kim2, Dong-Myung Shin3
1Asan Institute for Life Science, Seoul, Korea. ; University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Background:
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) obtained from bone marrow or adipose tissue can successfully repair emphysematous animal lungs, which is a characteristic of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Here, we describe the cellular distribution of MSCs that were intravenously injected into mice with elastase-induced emphysema. The distributions were also compared to the distributions in control mice without emphysema.
Methods:
We used fluorescence optical imaging with quantum dots (QDs) to track intravenously injected MSCs. In addition, we used a human Alu sequence-based real-time polymerase chain reaction method to assess the lungs, liver, kidney, and spleen in mice with elastase-induced emphysema and control mice at 1, 4, 24, 72, and 168 hours after MSCs injection.
Results:
The injected MSCs were detected with QD fluorescence at 1- and 4-hour postinjection, and the human Alu sequence was detected at 1-, 4- and 24-hour postinjection in control mice (lungs only). Injected MSCs remained more in mice with elastase-induced emphysema at 1, 4, and 24 hours after MSCs injection than the control lungs without emphysema.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, our results show that injected MSCs were observed at 1 and 4 hours post injection and more MSCs remain in lungs with emphysema.
