Introduction
Lung injury is a frequent complication following heart failure (HF) due to systemic inflammation, hypoxia, and reduced cardiac function. This study compared the therapeutic effects of menstrual blood-derived stromal cells (MenSCs) and bone marrow-derived stromal cells (BMSCs) on HF-induced lung injury in rats.
Methods
Twenty male Wistar rats underwent permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery to induce myocardial infarction (MI). They were randomly assigned to receive intravenous injections of MenSCs (2 × 106 cells), BMSCs (2 × 106 cells), or PBS 7 days post-MI. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography, and lung tissues were analyzed 28 days post-cell administration. Histopathology (H&E and Masson’s trichrome staining) evaluated pulmonary structural changes and fibrosis, TUNEL assay assessed apoptosis, and immunohistochemistry measured NF-κB and iNOS expression.
Results
Results showed that MenSC treatment significantly improved left ventricular ejection fraction compared with MI and BMSC groups (both P < 0.0001). MenSCs markedly reduced pulmonary injury scores and apoptotic cell numbers compared with both untreated and BMSC-treated rats (P < 0.0001). Both cell types reduced pulmonary fibrosis compared to MI (P < 0.0001). Both MenSCs and BMSCs similarly reduced NF-κB expression, whereas only MenSCs effectively decreased iNOS expression (P < 0.0001). Human mitochondrial antibody staining confirmed successful homing of both cell types to injured lung tissue.
Conclusion
systemic administration of MenSCs effectively ameliorated HF-induced lung injury through anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-fibrotic mechanisms. Compared with BMSCs, MenSCs demonstrated superior therapeutic potential, highlighting their promise as a non-invasive and immunologically favorable cell source for regenerative therapy in remote organ injury following MI.