Stem cell treatment in corrosive esophagitis

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to invastigate the efficacy of marked human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on prevention of fibrosis development after esophageal caustic injuries in rat. Thirty Wistar-Albino female rats were divided into three equal groups. A standard esophageal caustic burn which has been defined in literature was produced by 15% sodium hydroxide (NaOH). We used 0.9% saline fort he fisrt group (sham group). Second group was only injured but the third group was injured and after two hours human (male) bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells which have been marked with 1,1'-Dioctadecyl-3,3,3',3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine (DiI) implantated. Our experiment was terminated after 21 days and we assessed the esophageal tissue by measuring histopathologic damage, stenosis index, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for Y chromosome and for the cells with marked DiI by fluorescence microscope. The histopathologic parameters were fibrosis, inflammation and necrosis. There was a significant difference between the groups in fibrosis (p<0.05). There was also a significant difference between the groups in stenosis index; however it was related with the sham group, there was no difference with the second and third group. The DiI marked stem cells were shown with examination by fluorescence microscope. The Y chromosomes were determined in the esophageal tissue by FISH except one of the rats. In our study we featured that the marked human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were seat and alived on the epithelium of esophageal tissue and the positive efficacy in fibrosis with an experimental model of corrosive esophagitis in rats after 21 days. Key words: corrosive esophagitis, stem cells, fibrosis