Administration of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Lowers the Initial Levels of IL6 and TNF-Alpha in the Rat Model of Necrotizing Enterocolitis.

Research in the field of stem cells in necrotizing enterocolitis has primarily focused on the curative role of specific cells-mostly bone marrow and amniotic fluid stem cells. The impact of stem cells on reducing inflammatory cytokine levels in the necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) model has been studied in accordance with the effects they pose on histopathology. Taking into consideration the possible paracrine mechanism of action of stem cells, our group hypothesized that lowering the initial levels of proinflammatory cytokines may be one of the mechanisms affecting the clinical outcome. A self-modified rat NEC model was used to show the effect of intraperitoneal administration of adipose derived stem cells on the initial levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alfa) in comparison with the interleukin levels in NEC animals and control animals without adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) injection. We showed a statistically significant difference in the levels of interleukins when comparing an ADSC injected group and an NEC group. This suggests that one of the mechanisms in which stem cells impact the clinical outcomes in NEC may be by alleviating the initial levels of proinflammatory cytokines.