Inflammation in myocarditis induces cardiac injury and triggers disease
progression to heart failure. NLRP3 inflammasome activation is a newly
identified amplifying step in the pathogenesis of myocarditis. We previously
have demonstrated that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are cardioprotective in
Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3)-induced myocarditis. In this study, MSC markedly
inhibited left ventricular (LV) NOD2, NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18
mRNA expression in CVB3-infected mice. ASC protein expression, essential for
NLRP3 inflammasome assembly, increased upon CVB3 infection and was abrogated
in MSC-treated mice. Concomitantly, CVB3 infection in vitro induced NOD2
expression, NLRP3 inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion in HL-1 cells,
which was abolished after MSC supplementation. The inhibitory effect of MSC on
NLRP3 inflammasome activity in HL-1 cells was partly mediated via secretion of
the anti-oxidative protein stanniocalcin-1. Furthermore, MSC application in
CVB3-infected mice reduced the percentage of NOD2-, ASC-, p10- and/or IL-1β-
positive splenic macrophages, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells. The
suppressive effect of MSC on inflammasome activation was associated with
normalized expression of prominent regulators of myocardial contractility and
fibrosis to levels comparable to control mice. In conclusion, MSC treatment in
myocarditis could be a promising strategy limiting the adverse consequences of
cardiac and systemic NLRP3 inflammasome activation