Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells alleviate acute myocarditis by modulating endoplasmic reticulum stress and extracellular signal regulated 1/2-mediated apoptosis

Acute myocarditis is a non-ischemic inflammatory disease of the myocardium, and there is currently no standard treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can alleviate myosin-induced myocarditis; however, the mechanism has not been clearly elucidated. In the present study, the authors investigated the ability of human umbilical cordMSCs (HuMSCs) to attenuate myocardial injury and dysfunction during the acute phase of experimental myocarditis. Male Lewis rats (aged 8 weeks) were injected with porcine myosin to induce myocarditis. Cultured HuMSCs (1x10(6) cells/rat) were intravenously injected 10 days following myosin injection. A total of 3 weeks following injection, this resulted in severe inflammation and significant deterioration of cardiac function. HuMSC transplantation attenuated infiltration of inflammatory cells and adverse cardiac remodeling, as well as reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. Furthermore, it was identified that HuMSC transplantation suppressed endoplasmic reticulum stress and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) 1/2 signaling in experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM). The reduced number of TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells in myocardial sections from HuMSC-treated EAM rats compared with control demonstrates HuMSCs' anti-apoptotic function. Based on these data, the author suggested that treatment with HuMSCs inhibits myocardial apoptosis in EAM rats, ultimately protecting them from myocardial damage. The conclusion demonstrated that HuMSC transplantation attenuates myocardial injury and dysfunction in a rat model of acute myocarditis, potentially via regulation of ER stress, ERK1/2 signaling and induction of cardiomyocyte apoptosis.