促發炎細胞激素(Pro-inflammatory cytokines)能夠透過活化細胞自噬作用(autophagy),促使人類骨髓間質幹細胞(human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells, BM-MSCs)的表面黏附因子(adhesion molecules)、細胞間隙黏附因子(intercellular adhesion molecule-1, ICAM-1)與血管細胞黏附因子(vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, VCAM-1)之蛋白質表現量上升。為了驗證促發炎細胞激素白介素-1β(interleukin-1β, IL-1β)與腫瘤壞死因子(tumor necrosis factor-α, TNFα)能否透過調控細胞自噬作用進而誘導BM-MSCs的ICAM-1與VCAM-1表現量上升,因此使用了具有降低溶酶體水解酶(lysosomal acid hydrolases)活性的巴佛洛黴素(bafilomycin A, Baf)以及能夠抑制自噬體(autophagosomes)形成的3-MA (3-methyladenine)進行實驗。實驗結果顯示Baf可促進由IL-1β與TNFα所引發的ICAM-1與VCAM-1表現量,使得ICAM-1與VCAM-1的總體表現量趨升;而3-MA則具有相反的作用,使得ICAM-1與VCAM-1的總體表現量下降。由以上實驗結果可得知,BM-MSCs能夠藉由活化細胞自噬作用以調節促發炎細胞激素所引發的ICAM-1和VCAM-1蛋白質表現量。
Pro-inflammatory cytokines induce expression of surface adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs). To determine whether autophagy plays a role in regulating interleukin-1β (IL-1β)- or tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα)-induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), I treated BM-MSCs with bafilomycin A (Baf) which inhibits lysosomal acid hydrolases or with 3-methyladenine (3-MA) which inhibits autophagosome formation. The results reveal that Baf enhanced the expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, while 3-MA inhibited IL-1β- or TNFα-induced expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1. These findings suggest that pro-inflammatory cytokine-induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in BM-MSCs is regulated by autophagic activation.