Project description:Periurethral human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) injections are associated with functional improvement in animal models of post-partum stress urinary incontinence (SUI). However, limited data exists on the role of hMSCs in modulating gene expression in tissue repair after urethral injury. We quantified temporal gene expression modulation in hMSCs, and injured rat urethral tissue, using RNA seq in an animal model of SUI, over a 3-day time period following urethral injury, and local hMSC therapy. We injected PKH fluorescent-labeled human hMSC into the periurethral space of rats, following a 4h vaginal distention (3 rats per time point). Control rats underwent vaginal distention injury only, and were sacrificed at 12h, 24h, 36h, 72h post injury. Rat urethral and vaginal tissues were frozen and sectioned. Fluorescent labeled hMSCs were distinguished from adjacent, unlabeled rat urethral tissue. RNA was prepared from urethral tissue obtained by laser dissection of frozen tissue sections and sequenced on an Illumina HiSeq 2500. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) over 72h were evaluated using a 2-group t-test (p<0.05). Our transcriptional analyses identified candidate genes involved in tissue injury, that were broadly sorted by injury and exposure to hMSC, throughout the first 72h of acute phase of injury. DEGs in treated urethra, compared with untreated urethra, were functionally associated with tissue repair, angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and oxidative stress suppression. DEGs included a variety of cytokines, extracellular matrix stabilization and regeneration genes, cytokine signaling modification, cell cycle regulation, muscle differentiation and stabilization. Moreover, our results revealed DEGs changes in the hMSCs (PKH-labelled), which were harvested from injured urethra. The expressions are related to DNA damage repair, transcription activation, stem cell regulation, cell survival, apoptosis, self-renewal, cell proliferation, migration and injury response.

Project description:Purpose: The fundamental cause of intrauterine adhesions (IUAs) is the destruction and reduction of stem cells in endometrial basal layer, resulting in endometrial reconstruction very difficult. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of human umbilical cord blood derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSC) on the endometrial reconstruction after transplantation. Methods: hUCB-MSCs were isolated and identified successfully. The rabbit IUA models were established and set five groups (control, 14/28th day after surgery, estrogen and hUCB-MSCs treatment).The number of endometrial glands and the fibrosis rate were evaluated using HE and Masson staining, respectively. Endometrial proliferation, angiogenesis and inflammation was evaluated by immunohistochemical staining of ER, Ki-67and TGF-β1, respectively. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) was applied to explore the cell differentiation trajectory after hUCB-MSCs transplanted into IUA endometrium. Finally, molecular mechanism of hUCB-MSCs repairing damaged endometrium was investigated by RNA sequencing. Results: After transplantation of the hUCB-MSCs, the increase of endometrial gland number, estrogen receptor(ER) and Ki-67expression,and the decrease of fibrosis rate and TGF-β expression(P＜0.05), suggested the endometrial repair, angiogenesis and inflammatory suppression. The therapeutic effect of hUCB-MSCs was significantly improved compared with 28th day after surgery and estrogen group. ScRNA-seq demonstrated that the transplanted hUCB-MSCs can trans-differentiate into endometrial cells: epithelial, fibroblast, and macrophage. RNA Sequencing of six IUA samples further revealed that hUCB-MSCs may regulate Th17/Treg balance through NF-B signaling, thus inhibiting the immune response of damaged endometrium. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that hUCB-MSCs can repair damaged endometrium through trans-differentiation, immunomodulatory capacities, and NF-κB signaling, suggesting the treatment value of hUCB-MSCs in IUA.

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Engraftment of self-renewing endometrial epithelial organoids promotes endometrial regeneration by differentiating into functional glands in rats

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