Role of mesenchymal stem cells and taurine in chronic pancreatitis in adult albino rats

Chronic pancreatitis (CP) is an inflammatory disease of the pancreas that leads to pancreatic fi- brosis. The current treatment of the disease is not efficient or adequate. Therefore, more efficient in- terventions are required to diminish the substan- tial burden of the disease.The present study aimed to assess the poten- tial therapeutic value of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and/or taurine supplementation in CP-induced, using intraperi- toneal injection of L-arginine. Forty-five rats were randomly divided into five groups (9 rats each): 1) control group, 2) CP group, 3) CP+BMSCs, 4) CP+Taurine, and 5) CP+BMSCs+Taurine. At the end of the experimental period, the pancreatic tissues were collected, weighed, and prepared for light, electron, and immunohistochemical (& alpha;-SMA) microscopic examination. The CP group showed destruction of the pancreatic tissues including fatty degeneration, minimal zymogen granules, and focal degranulation of the rER. Some of the islets degenerated with intense immunoreactivity of & alpha;-SMA in the stroma. The groups treated with BMSCs or taurine alone showed improvement of the pancreatic architecture with the presence of some cytoplasmic vacuolation, fewer zymogen granules than the control group, and minimal in - flammatory cell infiltrate. The CP+BMSCs+Tau- rine group showed apparently normal architec- ture. The combined therapy of both BMSCs and taurine could ameliorate CP progression by sup- pressing inflammation and fibrosis.