Monitoring IL-13 expression in relation to miRNA-155 and miRNA-133 changes following intra-tracheal administration of mesenchymal stem cells and conditioned media in ovalbuminsensitized rats

Abstract

The overall goal of the current study was to show possibly mechanisms by which mesenchymal stem cells
(MSCs) or conditioned media (CM) exert immune-modulatory properties for amelioration of asthmatic changes. Male
rats were classified into healthy (C) and ovalbumin-sensitized groups (S), which further were divided into three
subgroups (n=6); rats given intratracheally PBS (CPT and SPT groups), CM (CST and SST groups) and MSCs (CCT and
SCT groups). Two weeks post treatment, IL-13, miRNA- 133 and miRNA-155 transcripts, pathological injuries and the
homing of MSCs into the lung parenchyma were evaluated. The local administration of CM and notably MSCs blunted
the expression levels of miRNA-133, miRNA-155, IL-13 and all pathological changes in pulmonary specimens of the
sensitized rats compared to the SPT group (p<0.001 to p<0.05). Successful mesenchymal stem cells transmigration to
lung tissue in cell-administrated rats was also shown, although the intensity of asthmatic changes profoundly affected
the amount of recruited cells. In summary, our results indicate the potency of CM and especially MSCs in ameliorating
pathological changes in rats presumably by regulating miRNAs expression in lung tissue.