The effects of BMMSC treatment on lung tissue degeneration in elderly macaques

BACKGROUND: Age-associated lung tissue degeneration is a risk factor for lung injury and exacerbated lung disease. It is also the main risk factor for chronic lung diseases (such as COPD, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, cancer, among others). So, it is particularly important to find new anti-aging treatments. METHODS: We systematically screened and evaluated elderly senile multiple organ dysfunction macaque models to determine whether BMMSCs inhibited lung tissue degeneration. RESULTS: The average alveolar area, mean linear intercept (MLI), and fibrosis area in the elderly macaque models were significantly larger than in young rhesus monkeys (p < 0.05), while the capillary density around the alveoli was significantly low than in young macaque models (p < 0.05). Intravenous infusion of BMMSCs reduced the degree of pulmonary fibrosis, increased the density of capillaries around the alveoli (p < 0.05), and the number of type II alveolar epithelium in elderly macaques (p < 0.05). In addition, the infusion reduced lung tissue ROS levels, systemic and lung tissue inflammatory levels, and Treg cell ratio in elderly macaque models (p < 0.05). Indirect co-cultivation revealed that BMMSCs suppressed the expression of senescence-associated genes, ROS levels, apoptosis rate of aging type II alveolar epithelial cells (A549 cells), and enhanced their proliferation (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: BMMSC treatment inhibited age-associated lung tissue degeneration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02201-3.