HGF-Modified Dental Pulp Stem Cells Mitigate the Inflammatory and Fibrotic Responses in Paraquat-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Figure 6

DPSCs-HGF transplantation protects against PQ-induced lung injury. (a) Survival rates were analyzed on day 28. (b) H&E staining and Masson staining were performed on lung sections. The nucleus was stained red by H&E, and collagen fibers were stained blue by Masson’s trichrome. (c) The inflammation grade was analyzed. ANOVA followed by Dunn’s multiple comparisons test was used to evaluate these data. (d) The percentage of the collagen fiber area was analyzed by Image-Pro Plus 6.0 software, and 10 random visual fields at 400x magnification were selected from each slice. (e) The expression of HYP, ALB, and ALP in BALF was detected by ELISA. (f) The expression of inflammation-related and fibrosis-related factors, including TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, α-SMA, and vimentin, was analyzed by qPCR. Each experiment was performed in triplicate; the data are shown as the . ANOVA followed by Tukey’s multiple comparisons test was used to evaluate these data. ^#, ^###, and ^#### vs. normal; , , and vs. PQ; ^@, ^@@, and ^@@@@ vs. UC-MSCs; ^&, ^&&&, and ^&&&& vs. DPSCs. PQ: paraquat; H&E: hematoxylin and eosin; HYP: hydroxyproline; ALB: albumin; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; α-SMA: α-smooth muscle actin.

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