Home » Stem Cells From the Heart Could Treat Crohn’s Disease

Stem Cells From the Heart Could Treat Crohn’s Disease

by Nikos Kokkorakis

Stem Cells From the Heart Could Treat Crohn’s Disease

Scientists from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (USA) injected neonatal cardiac-derived mesenchymal stem cells (nMSCs) directly into inflammatory lesions in a mouse model of Crohn’s disease (CD) (‘SAMP’ model). The groundbreaking study, published in Advanced Therapeutics, may open up new treatment options for the crippling illness. Chronic inflammation and lesions in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract characterize CD. While the entire GI tract can be inflamed, the final section of the small intestine, known as the ileum, is frequently the most severely affected by lesions or “patches” of CD. Patients suffering from the condition may experience severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, weight loss, malnutrition, and other debilitating symptoms that have a negative impact on their quality of life.

Immune modulators, immune suppressive regimens, corticosteroids, and aminosalicylates are among the treatment options for CD. Unfortunately, such regimens can cause severe side effects and treatment insensitivity in patients. Scientists are exploring novel approaches such as cell therapies. In animal models of myocardial infarction (heart attack), the team previously demonstrated that nMSCs improve cardiac function recovery and immune cell modulation. They focused on a preclinical model of CD-like ileitis using a resource of neonatal cardiac tissue obtained through patient biopsies. It is possible that cardiac-derived nMSCs could have a beneficial effect on the lesions seen in CD.

Neonatal cardiac-derived mesenchymal stem cells have been used in a clinical trial to repair an injured heart, but this is the first time these potent cells have been studied in an inflammatory intestinal disease model. Cell therapy reduces inflammation and promotes cell regeneration in CD. The scientists injected nMSCs into inflammatory lesions in the mice’s small intestine. The progression of lesions in pre-treatment SAMP mice was compared at 10 weeks and then at 15 weeks (5 weeks after injection). The study included placebo-controlled groups of SAMP mice that received either no injection or an injection of saline instead of nMSCs. In the study is declared that at pre-injection, ileal lesion sizes were comparable across all the conditions and between the groups. In treated mice, histological examination of colon tissue revealed that nMSCs reduced inflammation and promoted epithelial cell regeneration. nMSCs could be a viable alternative to the current cell therapies used in CD treatment. An another barrier to overcome is the treatment’s route of delivery. The nMSCs were injected directly into the lesions in the study, which necessitated surgery. The researchers are investigating how the treatment could be administered via vein injection, but more research in pre-clinical models is needed before moving on to clinical trials.

Reference: Gunasekaran M, Bury MI, Sharma TT, et al. Multipotent human neonatal cardiac-derived mesenchymal stem cells modulate ileitis in vivo. Adv Therap. 2023;n/a(n/a):2200261.doi: 10.1002/adtp.202200261

Image source

You may also like