Dental follicle mesenchymal stem cell administration ameliorates muscle weakness in MuSK-immunized mice

Background: myasthenia gravis (mg) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease of the neuromuscular junction (nmj),mostly associated with acetylcholine receptor (achr) antibodies. around 5-10 % of mg patients show antibodies to muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (musk). mesenchymal stem cell (msc) administration has been shown to ameliorate muscle weakness in the experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (eamg) model induced by achr immunization. methods: to investigate the efficacy of stem cell treatment in musk-related eamg,clinical and immunological features of musk-immunized mice with or without dental follicle msc (dfmsc) treatment were compared. results: musk-immunized mice intravenously treated with dfmsc after second and third immunizations showed significantly lower eamg incidence and severity and reduced serum anti-musk antibody,nmj igg,and c3 deposit levels and cd11b+ lymph node cell ratios. moreover,lymph node cells of dfmsc-administered mice showed reduced proliferation and il-6 and il-12 production responses to musk stimulation. by contrast,proportions of b and t cell populations and production of a wide variety of cytokines were not affected from dfmsc treatment. conclusions: our results suggest that dfmsc treatment shows its beneficial effects mostly through suppression of innate immune system,whereas other immune functions appear to be preserved. stem cell treatment might thus constitute a specific and effective treatment method in musk-associated mg. © 2015 ulusoy et al.