Comparative Histological Study on The Effect of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Versus Wheat Germ Oil on Acute Pancreatitis in A Rat Model

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common inflammatory disorder of digestive system. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and Wheat germ oil (WGO) could improve AP through their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.Objective: Evaluate and compare the possible therapeutic effects of Bone marrow derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) versus WGO on AP.  Materials and Methods: 47 adult male albino rats were divided into 4 groups. Control group I (no.=12). AP was induced in the remaining 35 rats by a single intra peritoneal (I.P) injection of L-arginine (250 mg/100g). 5 rats died within the 1st hour after AP induction, the rest were divided randomly into group II (AP group; no.=10) that received no treatment, group III (BMSCs group; no.=10) and group IV (WGO group; no.=10). One hour after AP induction, group III was injected I.P. by 1ml of PKH26 labeled BMSCs (1x106 cells/ml) and group IV received WGO in a dose of 3 ml/kg body weight by oral gavage every 24 h for 3 successive days. Blood samples were collected 24 hours and on the 4th day after AP induction for biochemical assessment of serum amylase, lipase, interleukin-1β and interleukin-10. Then, animals were sacrificed and specimens from the pancreas were prepared for Hematoxylin and eosin (HandE) stain and immune-histochemical staining using inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) and insulin antibodies. Morphometric measurements using image analyzer were done.  Results: Group II showed extensive pancreatic damage associated with increase in serum amylase, lipase and interleukin-1B levels and reduction in interleukin-10 level. A significant increase in the area % of iNOS immunostaining and non-significant change in insulin immunostaining were detected. On the other hand, BMSCs group and WGO group showed improvement in the biochemical, histological and immunohistochemical results with better results in BMSCs group.  Conclusion: BMSCs possess better therapeutic efficacy in treating AP compared with WGO.