| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2540839 | International Immunopharmacology | 2014 | 8 Pages |
•Adoptive transferred HSCs induced newborn iTregs and enhanced the stability of nTregs after liver IRI.•The number of hepatic Tregs was increased before and after reperfusion.•Adoptive transferred HSCs attenuated liver IRI.
Our previous study indicated that adoptive transferred regulatory T cells (Tregs) attenuated liver ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI). Recent studies demonstrated that hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were producers of induced Tregs (iTregs) via retinoic acid. This study aimed to investigate the role of adoptive transferred HSCs in liver IRI. Mice were treated with gradient doses of HSCs before surgery at 24 h or 72 h. The levels of serum aminotransferases and hepatic cytokines were evaluated after reperfusion. Meanwhile, hepatic Tregs and their subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry. We found that adoptive transferred HSCs attenuated liver IRI. Administration of HSCs expanded the number of hepatic iTregs and natural Tregs (nTregs) after reperfusion. In addition, we found that the increased Tregs were almost Helios-Tregs before surgery. These Helios-Tregs were considered as iTregs and protected liver from IRI partially. Furthermore, adoptive transferred HSCs stabilized nTregs and prevented nTregs from reducing after reperfusion. These nTregs also attenuated liver IRI partially. Depletion of Tregs abolished the protective effect of HSCs. Thus, we conclude that adoptive transferred HSCs ameliorate liver IRI in Tregs-dependent manner.
