Recruitment of transplanted dermal multipotent stem cells to sites of injury in rats with combined radiation and wound injury by interaction of SDF-1 and CXCR4

Systemic transplantation of dermal multipotent stem cells has been shown to accelerate both hematopoietic recovery and wound healing in rats with combined radiation and wound injury. In the present study, we explored the mechanisms governing the recruitment of dermal multipotent stem cells to the sites of injury in rats with combined injury. Male dermal multipotent stem cells were transplanted into female rats, and using quantitative real-time PCR for the sex-determining region of Y chromosome, it was found that the amounts of dermal multipotent stem cells in irradiated bone marrow and wounded skin were far greater than those in normal bone marrow and skin (P < 0.01). However, incubation of dermal multipotent stem cells with AMD3100 before transplantation, which specifically blocks binding of stromal cell-derived factor 1 (SDF-1) to its receptor CXCR4, diminished the recruitment of dermal multipotent stem cells to the irradiated bone marrow and wounded skin by 58 +/- 4% and 60 +/- 4%, respectively (P < 0.05). In addition, it was confirmed that the expression of SDF-1 in irradiated bone marrow and wounded skin was up-regulated compared to that in their normal counterparts, and in vitro analysis revealed that irradiated bone marrow and wounded skin extracts had a strong chemotactic effect on dermal multipotent stem cells but that the effect decreased significantly when dermal multipotent stem cells were preincubated with AMD3100 (P < 0.05). These data suggest that transplanted dermal multipotent stem cells were recruited more frequently to the irradiated bone marrow and wounded skin than normal bone marrow and skin and that the interactions of SDF-1 and CXCR4 played a crucial role in this process.

Transplantation of Dermal Multipotent Cells Promotes Survival and Wound Healing in Rats with Combined Radiation and Wound Injury

Combined radiation and wound injury occurs after severe nuclear accidents that accompany explosions or nuclear attacks. High doses of ionizing radiation can cause bone marrow aplasia and delay wound healing. Combined radiation and wound injury is very complex and is more difficult to deal with than single injuries. Multipotent stem cells that have self-renewal potential and multilineage differentiation capacity are the relevant cells in regenerative medicine. To determine whether multipotent stem cells can have multiple therapeutic effects in vivo, systemic transplantation of cultured dermal multipotent cells was performed in rats with combined radiation and wound injury. The results showed that dermal multipotent cell transplantation promoted survival and accelerated both hematopoietic recovery and wound healing in rats with combined radiation and wound injury. FISH analysis using a Y-chromosome-specific probe indicated that donor dermal multipotent cells could engraft into recipient skin and bone marrow after transplantation. FACS analysis of the proportions of CD2- and CD25-positive peripheral lymphocytes indicated that dermal multipotent cell transplantation did not induce an obvious activation of allogeneic lymphocytes in vivo in 3 weeks. These data indicate that dermal multipotent cell transplantation may provide a new tool for the treatment of combined radiation and wound injuries.