Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transform to Alveolar Epithelial Cells in Bleomycin Induced Lung Injury

Objective To explore the migration and differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs) in lung.Methods MSCs were harvested from a male Wistar rat.Sixty female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups.The pulmonary fibrosis model was established by intratracheal instillation of bleomycin in group A-D.Immediately and 7 days after bleomycin administration respectively,the rats in group B and C received infusion with 5-bromodeoxynridine(BrdU) labeled MSCs via tail vein.And the rats in group D were infused MSCs without BrdU labeling serving as a negative control.The sry gene of Y chromosome was detected by polymerase chain reaction(PCR).Double immunofluorescence staining was used to detected BrdU and surfactant associated protein-C(SP-C) expression in lung tissue,fresh bone marrow,and the 5th generation MSCs.Reverse transcriptipon-PCR was used to detect the expressions of SP-C mRNA and AQP-5 mRNA.Results The sry gene was detected in bleomycin induced lung injury tissues of the rats after MSCs infusion immediately and on the 7th day.The MSCs in lung tissue could transformed into cells with ACEⅡ morphological features and molecular phenotype.The transformation rate was higher in the rats received MSCs infusion immediately than the rats received on 7th day.The 5th generation MSCs and fresh bone marrow expressed SP-C mRNA,without AQP-5 mRNA and SP-C expression.Conclusions Exogenous MSCs can be transplanted into injured lung tissues and transform into AECⅡ,especially in early stage of lung injury.The differentiation potential of MSCs can be activated in injury micro-environment.