Effect of Transplantation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cell- Conditioned Medium on Ovarian Function, Morphology and Cell Death in Cyclophosphamide-Treated Rats

OBJECTIVE: Although stem cell transplantation has beneficial effects on tissue regeneration, but there are still problems such as high cost and safety issues. Since stem cell therapy is largely dependent on paracrine activity, in this study, utilization of transplantation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs)-secretome instead of the cells, into damaged ovaries was evaluated to overcome the limitations of stem cell transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, BMSCs were cultured and 25-fold concentrated conditioned medium (CM) from BMSCs was prepared. Female rats were injected intraperitoneally with cyclophosphamide (CTX) for 14 days. Then, BMSCs and CM were individually transplanted into bilateral ovaries, and the ovaries were excised after four weeks of treatment. The follicle count was performed using hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining and the apoptotic cells were counted using TUNEL assay. Ovarian function was evaluated by monitoring the ability of ovulation and the levels of serum estradiol (E(2)) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). RESULTS: Evaluation of the ovarian function and structure showed that results of secretome transplantation were almost similar to those of BMSCs transplantation and there was no significant differences between them. CONCLUSION: BMSCs-secretome is likely responsible for the therapeutic paracrine effect of BMSCs. Stem cell- secretome is expected to overcome the limitations of stem cell transplantation and become the basis of a novel therapy for ovarian damage.