(i) Reduced fibrotic area (ii) Reduced leukocyte infiltration (iii) Reduced macrophages infiltration (iv) Increased M2 macrophages proportion (v) Reduced expression of iNOS (vi) Reduced expression of TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 (vii) Reduced expression of TLR-4 and TLR-5 (viii) Increased expression of IL-10 (ix) Reduced expression of col1a2 and col3a1 (x) Reduced expression of TGF-β1 and CTGF (xi) Decreased collagen-to-MMP-to-TIMP ratio (xii) Increased expression of VEGF in the rectal mucosa (xiii) Reduced expression of angiopoietin and PDGF in the rectal mucosa (xiv) Increased expression of eNOS, VEGF, VEGFR1, and PDGF in the colon
Outcomes are expressed compared to control groups (i.e., groups treated but not transplanted with MSCs) unless stated otherwise (BM: bone marrow; Col: collagen; CTGF: connective tissue growth factor; IL: interleukin; MMP: matrix metalloproteinase; NOS: nitric oxide synthase; PDGF: platelet-derived growth factor; TGF-β: transforming growth factor-β; TGF-βR: transforming growth factor-β receptor; TIMP: tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase; TLR: toll-like receptor; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor).
