Protection of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells from acute lung injury induced by paraquat poisoning

Objective. To examine the protective effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation against lung injury induced by paraquat (PQ) poisoning. Materials and methods. Fifty-four female SD rats were randomly divided into four groups: a PQ group, a BMSC treatment group, a BMSC control group, and a normal control group. BMSC, isolated and cultured in vitro, were injected into the tail veins of the rats. The mortality rate, the ratio of lung wet/dry weight, plasma levels of IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), malonaldehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), and NF-κBp65 expression in the lung tissues were examined during 14 days after injection. Results. Survival in the PQ group ranged from 8 to 12 days, with an average of 9.6 days. All the rats in the BMSC treatment group survived for more than 14 days. In the BMSC treatment group, the ratio of lung wet /dry weight (P = 0.02 < 0.05), plasma IL-1β and TNF-α levels (P = 0.00 < 0.01), MDA levels (P = 0.03 < 0...