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Allogeneic transplantation of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in systemic lupus erythematosus

Clinical Rheumatology volume 31, pages 841–846 (2012)Cite this article

Abstract

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cell transplantation (UC-MSCT) has been proved to be effective in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), based on animal experiments and clinical trials. Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage (DAH) is a rare complication of SLE with a high mortality usually over 50%. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of UC-MSCT in the treatment of SLE-associated DAH. Four SLE patients complicated with DAH, who underwent UC-MSCT, were included. Clinical changes before and after transplantation were assessed by measurements of hemoglobin, platelet level, oxygen saturation, and serological factors. High-resolution CT (HRCT) scans of the chest were performed to evaluate pulmonary manifestation. All the four patients showed dramatic improvements of their clinical manifestations. Hemoglobin was elevated after UC-MSCT and was sustained at a normal level 6 months after UC-MSCT in the four patients. Platelet level was upregulated in two patients who had thrombocytopenia at baseline. Oxygen saturation appeared to be normal at 1 month after UC-MSCT, and this result was confirmed by the HRCT scan of the chest. Serum albumin elevated to 3.5 g/dl 6 months after transplantation. Our findings suggest that UC-MSCT results in amelioration of oxygen saturation as well as hematological and serologic changes, which revealed that UC-MSCT could be applied as a salvage strategy for DAH patients.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 81072473, 81172847, and 30972736), the Jiangsu Province Natural Science Foundation (no. BK2009034), the Major International (Regional) Joint Research Project (no. 81120108021), and the Jiangsu Province Ke Jiao Xing Wei Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, The Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Dongyan Shi, Dandan Wang, Xia Li, Huayong Zhang & Lingyun Sun

  2. Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Drum Tower Clinical Medical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China

    Nan Che & Zhimin Lu

Authors
  1. Dongyan Shi
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  2. Dandan Wang
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  3. Xia Li
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  4. Huayong Zhang
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  5. Nan Che
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  6. Zhimin Lu
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  7. Lingyun Sun
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Correspondence to Lingyun Sun.

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Dongyan Shi and Dandan Wang are co-first authors.

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Shi, D., Wang, D., Li, X. et al. Allogeneic transplantation of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for diffuse alveolar hemorrhage in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin Rheumatol 31, 841–846 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1943-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-012-1943-2

Keywords

  • Diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
  • Mesenchymal stem cells
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Transplantation