Ghrelin Protects the Thymic Epithelium From Conditioning-Regimen-Induced Damage and Promotes the Restoration of CD4+ T Cells in Mice After Bone Marrow Transplantation.

Background: The delay in immune reconstitution after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), especially a delay in central immune reconstitution, leads to opportunistic infections and disease relapse after transplantation and affects the long-term outcome of HSCT. This delay is mainly attributable to thymic damage after myeloablative chemotherapy and radiotherapy Methods: We established a model of allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in mice and administered ghrelin (GRL) 7 days before the conditioning regimen or the day after BMT. Results: All the GRL-treated mice, especially those administered GRL prior to the conditioning regimen, exhibited more intact thymic architecture and a more rapid restoration of CD4+ T lymphocytes after BMT than those of the corresponding control mice. Moreover, the levels of T cell receptor excision circles (TRECs) were significantly higher in the mice treated with GRL prior to the conditioning regimen than in the control mice at 28 days after BMT. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that GRL may be a novel potential therapeutic approach to protecting the thymic epithelium from conditioning-regimen-induced damage and promoting rapid and durable thymic and peripheral CD4+ T cell recovery after HSCT. Copyright (C) 2017 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

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