Abstract
Objective: Vaginitis, characterised by inflammation of the vagina, is commonly caused by bacterial, fungal or parasitic infections and has a significant physical and psychological impact on patients. Stem cell therapy, particularly using cells with robust cytokine secretion, is a promising treatment approach. This study aims to investigate the mechanism by which umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC) can be induced to secrete elevated levels of cytokines for the treatment of vaginitis.
Methods: We developed a method to stimulate significant cytokine secretion in UCMSC. The optimal cell induction programme was identified through a comprehensive assessment of cytokine secretion capacity, secretion characteristics, cell phenotype, lipid formation capacity and safety profile of the cells before and after induction. We then applied the UCMSC induced to secrete increased levels of neurotrophic and immunomodulatory factors (UCMSC-NTF) in the treatment of a vaginitis disease model.
Results: Flow cytometric analysis revealed no significant differences in the expression of UCMSC phenotypic markers before and after induction. AAH-BLG-1 antibody microarray results showed a significantly higher level of cytokines secreted by the UCMSC-NTF group compared to the UCMSC group. In addition, the lipid-forming ability and cell proliferation activity of UCMSC-NTF showed improvement compared to the UCMSC group. The induced UCMSC-NTF was then used to treat the vaginitis model. Western blot analysis after cell transplantation showed a significant reduction in the expression levels of inflammatory factors in the UCMSC-NTF group. Immunofluorescence results showed significantly increased expression levels of COL I, CD31 and cytokeratin CK in the UCMSC-NTF group compared to both the UCMSC and sham groups. Regeneration and repair observed in the UCMSC-NTF group were significantly superior to the other control groups.
Conclusion: Induced UCMSC-NTF exhibit enhanced cytokine secretion and proliferative capacity. Transplantation of UCMSC-NTF not only reduced inflammation levels at the lesion site, but also facilitated vascular regeneration, epithelial tissue keratosis and type I collagen restoration. These combined effects contributed significantly to the improved regeneration and repair of the lesion site.