Objective: To explore the effects of secretary leukocyte protease inhibitor (SLPI)-transfected bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) transplantation on airway inflammation and mucus secretion in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) rats.
Methods: Sixty rats were equally and randomly divided into negative control, COPD model, BMSCs and SLPI-transfected BMSCs groups. The COPD rat model was established in all rats with the exception of the negative control rats by smoking and intratracheal instillation of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). BMSCs with or without transfection of plasmid containing SLPI gene were delivered through caudal vein of rats at 30 days post-induction. The expression of SLPI was examined with Western blot. The levels of interleukin (IL)-8 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Goblet cell hyperplasia of lung pathological section was observed on.
Results: Compared with the negative control group, the expression of SLPI increased significantly after the administration of SLPI-transfected BMSCs (0.79 ± 0.06 vs 0.24 ± 0.02, P < 0.05). The levels of IL-8 and TNF-α in BMSCs and SLPI-transfected BMSCs group were lower than those in the COPD model group. Compared with the negative control group, the administration of SLPI-transfected BMSCs resulted in a further decrease in IL-8 and TNF-α in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid [(17.6 ± 1.7) vs (36.6 ± 4.0) ng/L, P < 0.05]. SLPI-transfected BMSCs transplantation also significantly attenuated goblet cell hyperplasia in rats (P < 0.05).
Conclusion: There is a potential role for cell-based SLPI gene therapy in the treatment of COPD.