Lupus is an autoimmune disease that has a wide variety of symptoms including joint pain, swelling, muscle pain and an increased risk of having osteoporosis. Scientists are not sure what causes lupus or how to treat such condition however they have found that a transplant using mesenchymal stem cells can reduce the symptoms experienced by a lupus patient.
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania have discovered a mechanism that allows mesenchymal stem cells to preserve bone in animals with lupus. After stem cells are transplanted, a key protein called Fas develops, which improves the function of bone marrow. This breakthrough may be important for the treatment of a wide range of diseases that affect the bones.
Co-author of the paper, Dr Songtao Shi, describes the process:
“When we used stem cells for these diseases and put them into the circulation, we didn’t know exactly what they were doing but saw that they were very effective. Now we’ve seen in a model of lupus that bone-forming mesenchymal stem cell function was rescued by a mechanism that was totally unexpected.”
Shi and colleagues have already demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells can treat various autoimmune conditions in animal trials. While they knew the treatment worked, precisely why it worked was still a mystery.
The researchers knew that the stem cells from the transplants were not being incorporated into the recipient’s organs sufficiently to cause such an improvement. They began to examine an epigenetic mechanism that changed how the recipient’s genres were regulated. The injection of stem cells was causing some genes to switch from a pathogenic state to a normal state.
To confirm the theory, they performed trials on mice with lupus — a condition that had previously responded well to stem cell treatment. Mice with lupus normally have bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells that are malfunctioning and cannot produce new bone. After the transplant of fresh mesenchymal stem cells, the mice were able to produce new bone for a significant period.
Next, researchers analysed the DNA patterns to determine how genes were being affected by the new stem cells. They found that genes in the “Notch family”, which helped with bone production, were highly methylated in mice after a stem cell transplant. Eventually researchers discovered that microvesicles (fragments of plasma membrane) called exosomes containing healthy versions of Fas protein were released when stem cells are added. Fas restored the ability of the mice to produce healthy bone.
This research discovery may help with lupus and many other diseases that affect bone health.
Source: Penn Dental Medicine Study Shows How Stem Cell Therapy Protects Bone in Lupus
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