How do stem cells bring immunity back to normal?
The mechanism of action of stem cells on autoimmune diseases has been discovered
(How stem cell therapy can keep the immune system under control). A study by Professor Songtao Shi and colleagues has been published in Cell Stem Cell.
Using a model of mice suffering from systemic scleroderma – a disease characterized, in particular, by damage to all small vessels in the body – scientists were able to trace the mechanism of action of stem cells. The systematic introduction of mesenchymal stem cells (capable of differentiating into cells of various tissues) helped to reduce the manifestation of the disease in animals.
The cells injected into the rodents produced the MCP-1 protein, which serves to activate and attract T-lymphocytes to the focus of inflammation. MCP-1 is also involved in the development of cancerous tumors and autoimmune diseases. The same protein is associated with a specific mechanism of programmed cell death (apoptosis), so T-lymphocytes attracted to the site of stem cell injection died.
Dying T-lymphocytes cause macrophages to produce more TGFß protein. This protein, in turn, binds to receptors on the surface of T-lymphocytes and inhibits their activation, thus suppressing the immune response. The immune system returns to normal.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru28.04.2012