Effect of SDF-1α pretreatment on the homing rate of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats

Background. Stem cell homing to damaged tissues is among the main barriers to stem cell therapy. The current study was conducted to investigate whether preconditioning umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs) with stromal cells-derived factor 1α (SDF-1α) could enhance their homing to the pancreas in type 1 diabetes or not. Methods. A total of 12 male Wistar rats were used in this study. Type 1 diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg/kg of streptozotocin (STZ). The UCMSCs were extracted by mechanical method and their identification was performed by flow cytometry for CD73+, CD90+, CD34-, and CD45- factors. UCMSCs were pretreated with SDF-1, and cell viability was checked with MTT test. UCMSCs and UCMSCs + SDF1α at a dose of 1×106 cells were injected intravenously 10 days after STZ injection. The samples were taken from their pancreas, liver, lung, and spleen tissue 48 hours after transplantation. Finally, the homing of UCMSCs was tested by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscope. Results. Spindle morphology and high expression of CD73 and CD90 were observed while CD34 and CD45 expression did not happen. SDF-1 cell pretreatment increased the survival of UCMSCs (P<0.01). UCMSCs+SDF-1α had a higher ability of homing into the pancreas when compared to the UCMSCs group (P<0.001). Moreover, homing in non-target tissues decreased by SDF-1α preconditioning. Conclusion. The findings of the present study showed that SDF-1α preconditioning caused a significant increase in the survival and homing of UCMSCs into the pancreas. Practical Implications. The survival, migration, and homing induced by SDF-1α factor indicate positive and practical effects of cell therapy, which can be used in clinical studies by designing more extensive studies using SDF-1α.