Immunomodulatory Effects of Primed Tonsil-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Atopic Dermatitis via B Cell Regulation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) ameliorate T-and B cell-mediated immune responses. In particular, tonsil-MSCs (T-MSCs) are attractive candidates for practical and clinical applications because of their ease of acquisition and relatively low immunogenicity compared with other MSC sources. The use of MSCs as a therapeutic tool in atopic dermatitis (AD) has been investigated, but that of T-MSCs remains to be explored. Therefore, we investigated the immunomodulatory effects of primed T-MSCs in AD pathogenesis. In our animal study, primed T-MSCs showed greater immunological suppressive effects than naïve T-MSCs. Additionally, in vitro, the proliferation of B cells was downregulated by the addition of primed T-MSCs compared with naïve T-MSCs. The activation of B cells to differentiate into antibody-secreting cells and produce IgE was also reduced when primed T-MSCs were added. Moreover, under CD40-knockdown conditions, we found that CD40 in primed T-MSCs played a critical role as a regulator of B cell activation and was mediated by the non-canonical NF-κB pathway. Therefore, our findings suggest a promising role for primed T-MSCs in the treatment of AD by regulating B cell-mediated inflammatory responses, which are dependent on CD40 expression on primed T-MSCs mediated through the non-canonical NF-κB pathway.