MECHANISMS OF ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE EFFECT PRODUCED BY MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS IN PATIENTS WITH MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

Abstract. We investigated the ability of autologous/allogeneic mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from early passages, derived from bone marrow of patients with multiple sclerosis, to inhibit mitogen/myelin-induced proliferation  of  memory  T  cells.  It  was  shown  that  MSC  immunosuppressive  potential  of  myelin-induced T-cell memory proliferation was significantly higher than an appropriate suppressive effect upon mitogenstimulated cells. These data provide an evidence for a possible pathogenetic role of MSCs in suppression of myelin-specific proliferation of effector lymphoid cells. Immunoregulatory mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cells  have  been  determined.  It  has  been  shown  that both soluble factors and cell-mediated interactions may be  involved  in  immunosuppressive  activity  of  MSCs.  Moreover, soluble mediators of MSC immunoregulatory properties, e.c., prostaglandin E2 and indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase,  were  not  produced  in  constitutive  manner,  but  they  require  a  paracrine  signal  from T-lymphocytes. The data obtained may be used for development of an individual approach, in order to estimate immunomodulatory properties of MSCs and for further application of cell cultures in pathogenetic therapy of multiple sclerosis. (Med. Immunol., 2011, vol. 13, N 2-3, pp 237-246