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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 15 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1431689
Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate valproateinduced immune stress and social deficiency in rats
Provisionally accepted
ShiXiong Sun
1
Shilin Luo
2
Jie Chen
3*
Ou Zhang
3*
Qiongying Wu
3*
Nianju Zeng
3*
Jinlian Bi
3*
Chunbing Zheng
4*
Tenglong Yan
4*
Zhiyuan Li
3*
Jindong Chen
1*
BING LANG
1*
Yilei Zhang
3*- 1 Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
- 2 Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China
- 3 Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, Anhui Province, China
- 4 Hunan Yuanpin Cell Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changsha, Anhui Province, China
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a set of heterogeneous neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by impaired social interactions and stereotypic behaviors. Current clinical care is palliative at the most and there remains huge unmet medical need to fully address the core symptoms of ASD. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) are emerging as a promising candidate for ASD treatment, but the precise mechanism remains controversial. In the present study, we determined the therapeutic effects of intravenous administration of hUC-MSCs in rats challenged with valproic acid (VPA) during gestation, a well-defined rat model of autism. We found that hUC-MSCs significantly alleviated microglial activation in the brain especially anterior cingulate cortex and effectively improved the sociability of the rats. In vitro studies also showed that hUC-MSCs promoted the growth of primarycultured cortical neurons. Our study has demonstrated a strong anti-inflammatory and cognition-promoting effects which prime hUC-MSCs as an excellent alternative resource for the treatment of ASD.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, Microglia, Valproic Acid, immune stress
Received: 12 May 2024; Accepted: 01 Aug 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Sun, Luo, Chen, Zhang, Wu, Zeng, Bi, Zheng, Yan, Li, Chen, LANG and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jie Chen, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Ou Zhang, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Qiongying Wu, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Nianju Zeng, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Jinlian Bi, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Chunbing Zheng, Hunan Yuanpin Cell Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changsha, Anhui Province, China
Tenglong Yan, Hunan Yuanpin Cell Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Changsha, Anhui Province, China
Zhiyuan Li, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
Jindong Chen, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
BING LANG, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, China
Yilei Zhang, Xiangya Bo’ai Rehabilitation Hospital, Changsha, 410151, Anhui Province, China
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