Intranasal delivery of mesenchymal stem cell exosomes modulates the
immune response of allergic rhinitis via the MAPK pathway in a mouse
model
Abstract
Background Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a non-infectious chronic
inflammatory disease of the nasal mucosa, which is mainly mediated by
IgE after the body is exposed to allergens. It has been shown that
transplantation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into AR animal
models can improve the AR behavioral phenotype. Furthermore, there are
recent studies that states exosomes are the main mediators of MSC
therapy. However, the effect of exosomes on AR has not been
investigated. Methods In the established AR mouse model,
different concentrations of MSC-derived exosomes (MSCs-Exo) were applied
via intranasal delivery. The AR symptom scores, the eosinophils in the
nasal mucosal section, the inflammation infiltration in the spleen
section, and IgE, ovalbumin-specific IgE (OVA-sIgE), histamine, IgG1,
IgG2a and other Th1/Th2 related inflammatory factors were evaluated by
Hematoxylin–eosin staining, Elisa, real-time PCR. Results We
found that intranasal administration of MSCs-Exo could not only reduce
the behavior of nasal scratching and sneezing in mice, but also cause a
decline in related immune indicators via the MAPK pathway, including the
spleen index, tissue staining, and the expression of
inflammation-related cytokines. Moreover, we found that the optimal
concentration of MSCs-Exo was 4Ă—10 8/mL.
Conclusion The significant beneficial effects of exosomes may
be exploited to develop a new, non-invasive treatment strategy for AR.