Therapeutic effect of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells on injured rat endometrium during its chronic phase

BACKGROUND: Repair deficiency after endometrial injury is an important reason for intra-uterine adhesions, amenorrhea, and infertility in females. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation is effective in repairing the damaged endometrium. However, the possibility of using umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UC-MSCs) to treat endometrial injury is rarely reported. METHODS: Ethanol (95%) was injected into rat uterus to establish a model of endometrial injury. UC-MSCs were injected through the tail vein, either as a single, twice, or thrice administration. Functional restoration of the uterus was assessed by testing embryo implantation rates. Endometrial morphological alteration was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Endometrial fibrosis, markers of epithelial and stromal cells of endometrium, cell proliferation and angiogenesis, and inflammatory factors were detected using immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: Endometrial morphology and embryo implantation rates were significantly improved on day 8 of transplantation among single-, twice-, or thrice-administered rats. Moreover, UC-MSCs could alleviate fibrosis in general, and reduced the expression of fibrosis markers, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. The cell proliferation marker Ki-67 had a positive expression in the injured endometrium after UC-MSC transplantation. The endometrial stromal marker vimentin and epithelial marker cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) expressions were visibly increased. The expression of vascular markers CD31, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)A, and matrix metalloprotein (MMP)9 was generally upregulated. Proinflammatory factors interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-2 were significantly downregulated in the rats administered UC-MSCs twice and thrice. CONCLUSIONS: UC-MSC transplantation contributed to the repair of endometrial injury and restoration of fertility, likely through the suppression of excessive fibrosis and inflammation, and enhancement of endometrial cell proliferation and vascular remodeling. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-0777-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.