Expression of Cytokine Genes in Leishmania major-Infected BALB/c Mice Treated with Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Introduction: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is an infectious disease with a high rate of prevalence worldwide. No effective vaccine is now available for CL, and the current chemotherapy ensues serious side effects. The potency of Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) in immunomodulatory and wound healing have shown promise for the treatment of CL. Methods: In the present study, BALB/c mice were infected with leishmania major promastigotes and then injected with 1×106 MSCs at the lesion sites. After 10, 20, and 30 days, the lesion size in MSC-treated mice was measured and compared with that of controls received only PBS. Also, expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-12, IL-4, and IL-10 cytokines were assayed in lesions, neutrophils, spleen, and liver of both test and control groups using RT-PCR. Result: The lesion size significantly reduced in MSC-treated mice by day 30. Soon after the treatment, the expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-10 genes, but not IL-4 was observed in the spleen and liver of the MSC-treated mice. In neutrophils of this group, only the TNF-α gene was expressed. Conclusion: our study exhibited the useful role of MSCs in the treatment of CL, which can open a new window to Leishmania research.