Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Engage Complement and Complement Receptor Bearing Innate Effector Cells to Modulate Immune Responses
2011

How Mesenchymal Stem Cells Interact with the Immune System

Sample size: 42 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Moll Guido, Jitschin Regina, von Bahr Lena, Rasmusson-Duprez Ida, Sundberg Berit, Lönnies Lena, Elgue Graciela, Nilsson-Ekdahl Kristina, Mougiakakos Dimitrios, Lambris John D., Ringdén Olle, Le Blanc Katarina, Nilsson Bo

Primary Institution: Karolinska Institutet and Hematology Center at Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden

Hypothesis

How do mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) interact with the body's innate immune system after clinical infusion?

Conclusion

The study demonstrates that mesenchymal stem cells activate the complement system, which modulates immune responses and enhances their immunosuppressive effects.

Supporting Evidence

  • MSCs showed a significant increase in generation of complement activation product C3a.
  • The study found that MSCs could suppress PBMC proliferation in vitro.
  • Complement activation was shown to be essential for MSC-mediated immunosuppression.

Takeaway

This study shows that special cells called mesenchymal stem cells can help the body fight diseases by working with the immune system, especially after they are infused into the blood.

Methodology

The study involved analyzing the interaction of culture-expanded human MSCs with the human complement system and assessing the resulting effector cell responses in human blood.

Potential Biases

Potential bias in patient selection and the retrospective nature of clinical response analysis.

Limitations

The study primarily focuses on in vitro interactions and may not fully represent in vivo conditions.

Participant Demographics

{"sex_ratio":"30 males, 12 females","age_range":"1 to 67 years","diagnosis":{"hematological_malignancies":35,"solid_tumors":3,"non_malignant_disorders":4}}

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.001

Confidence Interval

95%

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1371/journal.pone.0021703

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