Effect of Autologous Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Renal Cold Ischemia and Reperfusion Injury

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) on renal cold ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury via intravenous infusion on rats.MethodsA renal cold I/R injury rat model was established. Rats were equally randomized into Sham group, Cold I/R group (cold I/R plus culture medium only), and ADSC-treated group (cold I/R plus immediate intrarenal administration of 2 × 106 autologous ADSCs, followed by intravenous autologous ADSCs 6 hours after reperfusion). All rats were killed 24 hours after the I/R procedure.ResultsSerum creatinine levels were significantly reduced in the ADSC-treated group compared with the Cold I/R group (P < .01). The renal tissue in the ADSC-treated group had well conserved renal architecture compared with the Cold I/R group. The mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor α was significantly lower and Bcl-2 was higher in the ADSC-treated group than in the Cold I/R group (P < .05).ConclusionsAutologous ADSC infusions ameliorated renal damage undergoing cold I/R injury and improved the renal function, partly through inhibiting inflammatory reactions and reducing apoptosis.