Effects of an early intervention using human amniotic epithelial cells in a COPD rat model

The study aimed to investigate the effect of an early intervention using human amniotic epithelial cell (hAEC) in a rat model of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Twenty-four specific pathogen-free Wistar rats were randomized to the control, COPD, and COPD + hAEC groups. COPD was established by intratracheal LPS injection combined with smoke fumigation over 30 days. On the first day of model establishment rats in the AEC group also received intratracheal instillation of 500,000 hAECs isolated from the placenta of healthy donors. The mean linear intercept (MLI) and mean alveolar number (MAN) were used to assess the degree of lung emphysema. IL-8 was measured using a radioimmunoassay, surfactant protein D (SP-D) was measured by ELISA, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2 and MMP8 expression was assessed by PCR. Smoke fumigation combined to LPS injection successfully established a COPD rat model with significant emphysema and airway inflammation, elevated MLI and MAN, elevated systemic and lung tissue levels of IL-8 and SP-D (P < 0.05), and high expression of MMP2 and MMP8. Rats in the COPD + hAEC group exhibited alleviated lung damage, MLI and MAN (P < 0.05), reduced systemic and lung tissue levels of IL-8 and SP-D (P < 0.05) and MMP2 and MMP8 expression (P < 0.05). Early intervention using hAECs could delay disease progression in rats with COPD.