Background: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn's disease (CD), is a chronic complex immune-inflammatory disorder with increasing prevalence and inadequate conventional treatment.
Aim of work: Evaluating the therapeutic effect of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) versus ADSC-conditioned medium (CM) in a rat model of enteritis (CD).
Materials and Methods: Fifty-six female albino rats were used, 16 rats served as control (group I). In the remaining 40 rats, enteritis was induced by SC injection of 2 doses of indomethacin 7.5 mg/kg, on days 0 and1 of the experiment. After 10 days, rats were divided equally into 5 groups: Groups II and III received no further treatment and sacrificed at days 10 and 24 respectively. Groups IV,VandVI with ADSCs (1×106 cells, IV single dose ), ADSC-CM (0.5mlintraperitoneal (IP), 5 doses) and DMEM (0.5ml IP, 5 doses) respectively; they were all sacrificed at day 24. Ileum specimens were stained with HandE, Masson's trichromeandAlcian blue/ PAS stains as well as MMP1 and PCNA immunostains.Morphometric measurements of area % of collagen and MMP1, number of goblet cells and PCNA positive cells as well as optical density of Alcian blue/ PAS reaction were taken and statistically analyzed.
Results: Groups II, III and VI revealed obvious damage of villi and crypts, desquamation of epithelium, oedema and obvious mononuclear cellular infiltration together with significant decrease in number of goblet cells and PCNA +ve cells as well as in the optical density of Alcian blue/ PAS reaction and significant increase in the area % of collagen (in groups IIIandVI) and MMP1 as compared to control. Groups IV and V nearly regained the normal histological structure of villi and crypts.
Conclusion: ADSC-CM was as effective as ADSCs in reducing tissue fibrosis and in enhancing proliferation and mucosal regeneration in a rat model of enteritis (CD).