Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells

Abstract Background Little is known regarding both the role of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the impact of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on inflammatory and immune responses in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study is aimed to explore the role of MPO and the regulatory effect of umbilical cord-derived...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shubei Liu, Chunjuan Yang, Donghua Xu, Bingjie Gu, Minning Shen
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08458-6
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849767421730095104
author Shubei Liu
Chunjuan Yang
Donghua Xu
Bingjie Gu
Minning Shen
author_facet Shubei Liu
Chunjuan Yang
Donghua Xu
Bingjie Gu
Minning Shen
author_sort Shubei Liu
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Little is known regarding both the role of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the impact of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on inflammatory and immune responses in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study is aimed to explore the role of MPO and the regulatory effect of umbilical cord-derived MSCs on MPO expression in monocytes in AS. Methods MPO mRNA expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was detected by Real-time PCR. Cytokines including IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-17 A, IL-4, IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α were determined by flow cytometry. A co-culture system was established by culturing THP-1 cells with MSCs at a ratio of 5:1. Results Increased mRNA expression of MPO was observed in PBMCs of AS patients compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of MPO was positively associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P < 0.05) in AS. Besides, the levels of IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-17 A, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α in plasma were notably increased in AS (P < 0.05). Positive correlations between MPO expression and IL-2, IFN -γ, IL-4, TNF-α as well as IL-6 were demonstrated in AS (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MSCs remarkably suppressed the mRNA expression of MPO along with the secretion of IL-17 A and TNF-α, but promoted IL-10 generation in monocytes. Conclusion MPO expression is significantly upregulated and correlates with cytokine imbalance in AS. It may serve as a valuable immunotherapeutic target for AS. MSCs can significantly inhibit monocyte-mediated inflammatory response potentially by downregulating MPO in monocytes.
format Article
id doaj-art-890e7ad461ac4ebfb8e05ffefbaee0ca
institution DOAJ
issn 1471-2474
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
spelling doaj-art-890e7ad461ac4ebfb8e05ffefbaee0ca2025-08-20T03:04:11ZengBMCBMC Musculoskeletal Disorders1471-24742025-03-0126111010.1186/s12891-025-08458-6Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cellsShubei Liu0Chunjuan Yang1Donghua Xu2Bingjie Gu3Minning Shen4Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Weifang People’s Hospital, Shandong Second Medical UniversityDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Weifang People’s Hospital, Shandong Second Medical UniversityDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityDepartment of Rheumatology and Immunology, Nanjing First Hospital, Nanjing Medical UniversityAbstract Background Little is known regarding both the role of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and the impact of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on inflammatory and immune responses in ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This study is aimed to explore the role of MPO and the regulatory effect of umbilical cord-derived MSCs on MPO expression in monocytes in AS. Methods MPO mRNA expression in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was detected by Real-time PCR. Cytokines including IL-2, IFN-γ, IL-17 A, IL-4, IL-10, IL-6 and TNF-α were determined by flow cytometry. A co-culture system was established by culturing THP-1 cells with MSCs at a ratio of 5:1. Results Increased mRNA expression of MPO was observed in PBMCs of AS patients compared to healthy controls (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression of MPO was positively associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (P < 0.05) in AS. Besides, the levels of IL-2, IL-10, IFN-γ, IL-17 A, IL-4, IL-6, TNF-α in plasma were notably increased in AS (P < 0.05). Positive correlations between MPO expression and IL-2, IFN -γ, IL-4, TNF-α as well as IL-6 were demonstrated in AS (P < 0.05). Furthermore, MSCs remarkably suppressed the mRNA expression of MPO along with the secretion of IL-17 A and TNF-α, but promoted IL-10 generation in monocytes. Conclusion MPO expression is significantly upregulated and correlates with cytokine imbalance in AS. It may serve as a valuable immunotherapeutic target for AS. MSCs can significantly inhibit monocyte-mediated inflammatory response potentially by downregulating MPO in monocytes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08458-6Ankylosing spondylitisMyeloperoxidaseMesenchymal stem cellsCytokines
spellingShingle Shubei Liu
Chunjuan Yang
Donghua Xu
Bingjie Gu
Minning Shen
Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders
Ankylosing spondylitis
Myeloperoxidase
Mesenchymal stem cells
Cytokines
title Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
title_full Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
title_fullStr Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
title_full_unstemmed Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
title_short Significant correlations of upregulated MPO expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
title_sort significant correlations of upregulated mpo expression with cytokine imbalance in ankylosing spondylitis patients and the inhibitory effect mediated by mesenchymal stem cells
topic Ankylosing spondylitis
Myeloperoxidase
Mesenchymal stem cells
Cytokines
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-025-08458-6
work_keys_str_mv AT shubeiliu significantcorrelationsofupregulatedmpoexpressionwithcytokineimbalanceinankylosingspondylitispatientsandtheinhibitoryeffectmediatedbymesenchymalstemcells
AT chunjuanyang significantcorrelationsofupregulatedmpoexpressionwithcytokineimbalanceinankylosingspondylitispatientsandtheinhibitoryeffectmediatedbymesenchymalstemcells
AT donghuaxu significantcorrelationsofupregulatedmpoexpressionwithcytokineimbalanceinankylosingspondylitispatientsandtheinhibitoryeffectmediatedbymesenchymalstemcells
AT bingjiegu significantcorrelationsofupregulatedmpoexpressionwithcytokineimbalanceinankylosingspondylitispatientsandtheinhibitoryeffectmediatedbymesenchymalstemcells
AT minningshen significantcorrelationsofupregulatedmpoexpressionwithcytokineimbalanceinankylosingspondylitispatientsandtheinhibitoryeffectmediatedbymesenchymalstemcells