Siyu Wang

A pilot study of umbilical cord‐derived mesenchymal stem cell transfusion in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis

BACKGROUND AND AIM Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) treatment is an effective medical therapy for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC); however, 40% of PBC patients show an incomplete response to the UDCA therapy. This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell (UC-MSC) transfusion in PBC patients with an incomplete response to UDCA. METHODS We conducted a single-arm trial that included seven PBC patients with a suboptimal response to UDCA treatment. UC-MSCs were first cultured, and then 0.5 × 10(6) cells/kg body weights were infused through a peripheral vein. UC-MSCs were given three times at 4-week intervals, and patients were followed up for 48 weeks. Primary outcomes were to evaluate the safety and feasibility of UC-MSC treatment, and secondary outcomes were to evaluate liver functions and patients quality of life. RESULTS No obvious side-effects were found in the patients treated with UC-MSCs. Symptoms such as fatigue and pruritus were obviously alleviated in most patients after UC-MSC treatment. There was a significant decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase and γ-glutamyltransferase levels at the end of the follow-up period as compared with baseline. No significant changes were observed in serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, albumin, prothrombin time activity, international normalized ratio, or immunoglobulin M levels. The Mayo risk score, a prognostic index, was also stable during the treatment and follow-up period. CONCLUSIONS UC-MSC transfusion is feasible and well tolerated in patients with PBC who respond only partially to UDCA treatment, thus representing a novel therapeutic approach for patients in this subgroup. A larger, randomized controlled cohort study is warranted to confirm the clinical efficacy of UC-MSC transfusion.

Safety and immunological responses to human mesenchymal stem cell therapy in difficult-to-treat HIV-1-infected patients

Objective:HAART largely decreases morbidity and mortality in chronic HIV-1-infected patients, but immune nonresponders (INRs) with full viral suppression still fail to reverse the immune deficiency. This study evaluated the safety and immunological responses of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in HIV-1-infected INRs. Design and Methods:A total of 13 HIV-1-infected INRs were enrolled in this pilot prospectively open-labeled controlled clinical trial. Seven patients were administered three umbilical cord-MSC transfusions at 1-month interval during 12-months of follow-up, whereas six control patients were treated with saline in parallel. Immunological parameters were monitored in these patients throughout the trial. Results:All patients tolerated the umbilical cord-MSC transfusions well throughout the trial. The umbilical cord-MSC transfusions preferentially increased circulating naive and central memory CD4 T-cell counts and restored HIV-1-specific IFN-&ggr; and IL-2 production in the INRs. These enhancements in immune reconstitution were also associated with the reduction of systemic immune activation and inflammation in vivo. Conclusions:umbilical cord-MSC transfusions are well tolerated and can efficiently improve host immune reconstitution in INRs, suggesting that such treatments may be used as a novel immunotherapeutic approach to reversing immune deficiency in HIV-1-infected INRs (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01213186).

Complement 5a stimulates hepatic stellate cells in vitro, and is increased in the plasma of patients with chronic hepatitis B

Complement 5a (C5a) is a critical modulator of liver immunity. In this study, we investigated the role of C5a and its receptor in liver fibrosis in patients with hepatitis B virus infection. We found that plasma C5a concentration was significantly increased in patients with chronic hepatitis B, particularly in those patients with higher grade and stage scores. Further analysis indicated that the increased C5a concentration was positively correlated with clinical parameters reflecting liver fibrosis severity, including type IV collagen and procollagen type III N‐terminal peptide. Our in vitro data indicated that the C5a receptor is highly expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs). Addition of C5a significantly activated HSCs and up‐regulated α‐smooth muscle actin, hyaluronic acid and type IV collagen expression. Also, addition of C5a could inhibit the spontaneous and soluble tumour necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand‐induced apoptosis of HSCs. These findings highlight the potential role of C5a in the regulation of liver fibrosis.

Complement 5a receptor-mediated neutrophil dysfunction is associated with a poor outcome in sepsis

Complement 5a (C5a) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of sepsis by inducing the functional impairment of neutrophils; however, the utility of C5a receptors (C5aRs; C5aR and C5L2) as biomarkers for the management of sepsis is uncertain. This study investigated the dynamic expression of C5aR and C5L2 on neutrophils and their effects on neutrophil function. We found that sepsis patients displayed low expression levels of C5aR and C5L2 on neutrophils compared to healthy and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) subjects, and this expression pattern was correlated with disease severity. Additionally, the expression levels of C5aR and C5L2 were associated with the survival of sepsis patients. In vitro, the addition of C5a significantly reduced C5aR and C5L2 expression levels and IL-8 production in neutrophils from sepsis patients. Those findings suggest that the reduced expression of C5aRs was associated with the functional impairment of neutrophils and a poor prognosis for sepsis patients. Overall, these findings may help establish C5aRs expression levels as early markers to predict the severity of sepsis.

Low expression of CXCR1/2 on neutrophils predicts poor survival in patients with hepatitis B virus-related acute-on-chronic liver failure

Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and proinflammatory cytokines have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF). But the utility of CXC chemokine receptor expression on PMNs as a biomarker for prediction of disease severity is still uncertain. In this study, we investigated the dynamic expression of CXCR1 and CXCR2 on neutrophils, and found that patients with hepatitis B virus-related ACLF displayed low expression of CXCR1 and CXCR2 on peripheral neutrophils compared with healthy subjects and patients with chronic hepatitis B. This expression pattern was correlated with disease severity. Additionally, increased production of IL-8 in peripheral blood was significantly associated with reduced CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression, as shown by the decreased CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression on neutrophils after treating neutrophils with plasma from ACLF patients. This effect could be overcomed through IL-8 blockage with an anti-IL-8 antibody. We also found that IL-8 production and neutrophil infiltration were coordinately increased in the liver tissue of HBV-ACLF patients, and this increase was associated with liver inflammation. Overall, increased production of IL-8 associated with neutrophils infiltration into the liver and decreased CXCR1/2 expression on peripheral neutrophils. CXCR1 and CXCR2 expression levels could be served as early markers to predict the severity of ACLF.

High levels of circulating GM-CSF + CD4 + T cells are predictive of poor outcomes in sepsis patients: a prospective cohort study

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), produced by CD4+ T cells, has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and juvenile arthritis. However, the role of GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells in sepsis remains unknown. This study reports peripheral changes in GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells in septic patients and the possible underlying mechanism by which GM-CSF influences the outcome of sepsis. Forty-three septic patients, 20 SIRS patients, and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in this study and followed for 28 days to assess mortality. We measured the peripheral frequency of GM-CSF+CD4+ T cells and recorded their associated relationship with disease progression. Our data demonstrated that peripheral GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells were significantly higher in septic patients than in both SIRS patients and healthy controls. These cells exhibit a memory phenotype and impaired IFN-γ-secreting capacity in sepsis patients. Using a receiver operating curve analysis with 8.01% as a cut-off point, the percentage of GM-CSF+CD4+ T cells could predict the outcome of septic patients. Combined with the increase in GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells, inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-6 were also upregulated. Using an in vitro neutrophil model, we found that GM-CSF inhibited C3aR expression, while inducing IL-8 production. Furthermore, this effect was transferrable in plasma from sepsis patients and was attenuated by inhibition of GM-CSF using an anti-GM-CSF antibody. These results indicate that GM-CSF-producing CD4+ T cells may serve as a marker of sepsis severity. Thus, targeting GM-CSF overproduction may benefit sepsis patients.