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Mesenchymal stem cells cannot affect mRNA expression of toll-like receptors in different tissues during sepsis
Leonardo Pedrazza1, Talita Carneiro Brandão Pereira2, Ana Lucia Abujamra3
1Laboratório de Pesquisa em Biofísica Celular e Inflamação, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, CEP 90619-900, Brazil. leopedrazza@gmail.com.
Objective And Design:
Experimental animal models and human clinical studies support a crucial role for TLRs in infectious diseases. The aim of this study was to test the ability of MSCs, which have immunomodulatory effects, of altering the mRNA expression of toll-like receptors during a experimental model of sepsis in different tissues.
Materials And Methods:
Three experimental groups (male C57BL/6 mice) were formed for the test: control group, untreated septic group and septic group treated with MSCs (1 × 106 cells/animal). Lungs, cortex, kidney, liver and colon tissue were dissected after 12 h of sepsis induction and TLR2/3/4/9 mRNA were evaluated by RT-qPCR.
Results:
We observed a decrease of TLR2 and 9 mRNA expression in the liver of the sepsis group, while TLR3 was decreased in the lung and liver. No change was found between the sepsis group and the sepsis + MSC group.
Conclusions:
In this model of experimental sepsis the MSCs were unable to modify the mRNA expression of the different toll-like receptors evaluated.
Insights
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) did not alter toll-like receptor (TLR) mRNA expression in mice with experimental sepsis. This study found no significant changes in TLR levels in various tissues after MSC treatment during sepsis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a critical role in infectious diseases.
- Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess immunomodulatory properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of MSCs on the mRNA expression of TLRs in different tissues during experimental sepsis.
- To evaluate the potential of MSCs to modulate the immune response in sepsis.
Main Methods:
- Experimental sepsis model in C57BL/6 mice.
- Three groups: control, untreated sepsis, and MSC-treated sepsis (1 × 10^6 cells/animal).
- RT-qPCR analysis of TLR2, TLR3, TLR4, and TLR9 mRNA in lung, cortex, kidney, liver, and colon tissues after 12 hours.
Main Results:
- Sepsis induction led to decreased TLR2 and TLR9 mRNA in the liver.
- TLR3 mRNA expression was reduced in the lung and liver during sepsis.
- No significant differences in TLR mRNA expression were observed between the untreated sepsis group and the MSC-treated sepsis group.
Conclusions:
- In this experimental sepsis model, MSCs did not alter the mRNA expression of the evaluated toll-like receptors.
- The immunomodulatory effects of MSCs, in this context, did not extend to modulating TLR expression in various tissues.
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