Protective effects of transplanted and mobilized bone marrow stem cells on mice with severe acute pancreatitis

AIM:To evaluate the protective effects of transplantedand mobilized bone marrow stem cells(BMSCs)on micewith severe acute pancreatitis(SAP)and to probe intotheir possible mechanisms.METHODS:A mouse model of SAP induced by intraperitonealinjections of L-arginine was employed in the present study.Two hundred female Balb/c mice weighing 18-22 g wererandomly assigned into 4 groups.Group A was the stemcell mobilized group treated by injection of granulocyte-colony stimulating factor(G-CSF)into mice for 4 days at adose of 40 μg·kg-1·d-1before induction of SAP.Group B wasthe group of BMSCs transplantation,in which the micewere given the isolated BMSCs via the tail vein 4 daysprior to induction of SAP.Group C served as the modelcontrol and only SAP was induced.The mice withoutinduction of SAP in group D acted as the normal control.Atthe time of animal sacrifice at 24,48 and 72 h after inductionof SAP,blood samples were obtained and prepared todetect serum amylase,while the abdominal viscera wereexamined both grossly and microscopically for theobservation of pathological changes.RESULTS:The mortality of mice in the model control,groupsA and B was 34 %,8 % and 10 % respectively within 72 hafter induction of SAP.The serum level of amylase in themodel control was significantly increased at all time pointsafter induction of SAP as compared with that of the normalcontrol(P<0.05-0.01).When the mice were pretreatedwith BMSCs’ transplantation or G-CSF injection,their serumlevel of amylase was significantly reduced at 48 h and 72 hafter induction of SAP in comparison with that of the modelcontrol(P<0.05-0.01).In accordance with these observations,both gross and microscopic examinations revealed thatthe pathological changes of SAP in mice pretreated withBMSCs transplantation or G-CSF injection were considerablyattenuated as compared with those in the model control atall observed time points.CONCLUSION:Both transplanted allogenic and mobilizedautologous BMSCs can protect mouse pancreas from severedamage in the process of SAP.