2021 Fiscal Year Annual Research Report
Applying the anti-inflammatory phenotypes of macrophages to reverse salivary gland inflammation in mice with abnormal phosphatase SHP2 expression
| Project/Area Number |
20K18728
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| Research Institution | Nagasaki University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Project Period (FY) |
2020-04-01 – 2022-03-31
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| Keywords | Sjogren's syndrome / Cell therapy / Xerostomia / Salivary glands / Inflammatory cytokines / Chemokines / Lymphocyte infiltration |
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| Outline of Annual Research Achievements |
For this fiscal year, we continued to study if M2 macrophage-like cell transplantation could reduce the inflammation in salivary glands in Sjogren’s syndrome mouse models. As described in the previous report, M2 macrophage-like cell transplantation in salivary glands reduced inflammatory gene expression in these mice.
To study if transplantation of M2 macrophage-like cells could restore the loss of function (xerostomia or decrease in saliva secretion) in the salivary glands of a Sjogren’s syndrome mouse model, we measured the salivary flow rate (SFR) in mice at several timepoints after transplantation.
Our results show that the SFR was maintained in transplanted mice compared to untreated controls.
Histological analysis of diseased submandibular glands showed a significant decrease in the size and number of lymphocyte infiltration. Moreover, gene expression showed a decrease in signaling molecules involved in lymphocyte infiltration. In summary, this suggests that M2 macrophage-like cells are an effective therapy for alterations in salivary glands caused by immune disorders such as Sjogren's syndrome.
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