Immunoregulatory effects of dental mesenchymal stem cells on T and B lymphocyte responses in primary Sjogren's syndrome

Background: In this article, the authors investigate the modulatory effects of dental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on lymphocyte responses in primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS), which is an autoimmune disease resulting from keratoconjunctivitis sicca and xerostomia. Methods: Mononuclear cells isolated from pSS patients cultured with or without dental MSCs and analyzed for lymphocyte responses via flow cytometry. Results: Dental-follicle (DF)- and dental-pulp (DP)-MSCs downregulated CD4(+) T lymphocyte proliferation by increasing Fas-ligand expression on T lymphocytes and FoxP3 expressing Tregs, and decreasing intracellular IFN-gamma and IL-17 secretion in pSS patients. DF-MSCs decreased the plasma B cell ratio in the favor of naive B cell population in pSS patients' mononuclear cells. Conclusion: DF- and DP-MSCs can be the new cellular therapeutic candidates for the regulation of immune responses in pSS.