Immunosupressive Property of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Mixed Lymphocyte Reactions In Vitro.

Meesnchymal stem cells (MSCs) were successfully used in the prevention and treatment of graft versus host disease (GVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. To further explore the immunosuppressive property of human bone marrow (MSCs) in alloantigen-induced mixed lymphocyte reactions (MLRs) in vitro, human bone marrow MSCs and lymphocytes were prepared from healthy volunteers. MSCs were expanded in vitro in Mesencult serum free media. MSCs were cocultured with one-way MLRs and bidirectional MLRs, responder cells were labeled with carboxyfluorescein diacetate- succinimidyl ester (CFSE) in bidirectional MLRs. Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8)kit was used in cell proliferation detection, T-cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry (FCM). The results showed that MSCs were positive for CD105, CD73, CD13, CD90 and were negative for hematopoietic cell markers. In one-way MLRs, MSCs down-regulated alloantigen-induced lymphocyte expansion in a dose-dependent and MHC-independend manner. In two-way MLRs, MSCs suppressed proliferation of CFSE positive cells. T cell subsets were changed: Th2 and Tc2 were down-regulated. Th2 was reduced from 1.70% to 0.65%, and Tc2 reduced from 1.10% to 0.47%, while Th1 and Tc1 were unaffected. T cells that became CD69+, which was an early activation marker, were significantly up-regulated from 7.14% to 26.12% and CD4+CD25+T regulatory cells (CD4+CD25+Tr) were up-regulated from 4.04% to 6.19%, which indicating that suppression did not interfere with activation phase of T cells and might be mediated by CD4+CD25+Tr partly. We conclede that MSCs down-regulated alloantigen-induced lymphocyte expansion. The immunosupressive effect might involve in post-activation phase of T cells. CD4+CD25+Tr might contribute to the suppressory activity of MSCs.