Mesenchymal stem cell-based FGF2 gene therapy for acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice.

OBJECTIVE: Bone marrow-de- rived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can serve as a vehicle for gene therapy. FGF2 (ba- sic fibroblast growth factor) is a multifunctional growth factor and exhibits diverse function in different cell types, it also has pleiotropic ef- fects in different tissues and organs, including potent angiogenic effects and an important role in the differentiation and function of the central nervous system. We hypothesized that MSC- based FGF2 gene therapy might be a potential therapeutic approach for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MSCs were isolated from 6 week-old inbred male mice and transduced with the FGF2 gene, using a lentivirus vector. RESULTS: In the in vivo mouse model, the LPS-induced lung injury was markedly alleviat- ed in the group treated with MSCs carrying FGF2 (MSCs-FGF2), compared with groups treated with MSCs alone. The histopathological index of LPS-induced lung injury was improved after MSCs-based FGF2 gene treatment. The MSCs-FGF2 administration also reduced the level of inflammatory cytokines. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that MSCs and FGF2 have a synergistic role in the treatment of LPS-induced lung injury.