Mesenchymal Stem Cell Induced Foxp3(+) Tregs Suppress Effector T Cells and Protect against Retinal Ischemic Injury

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC) are well known for immunomodulation; however, the mechanisms involved in their benefits in the ischemic retina are unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that MSC induces upregulation of transcription factor forkhead box protein P3 (Foxp3) in T cells to elicit immune modulation, and thus, protect against retinal damage. Induced MSCs (iMSCs) were generated by differentiating the induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) derived from urinary epithelial cells through a noninsertional reprogramming approach. In in-vitro cultures, iMSC transferred mitochondria to immune cells via F-actin nanotubes significantly increased oxygen consumption rate (OCR) for basal respiration and ATP production, suppressed effector T cells, and promoted differentiation of CD4+CD25+ T regulatory cells (Tregs) in coculture with mouse splenocytes. In in-vivo studies, iMSCs transplanted in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injured eye significantly increased Foxp3+ Tregs in the retina compared to that of saline-injected I/R eyes. Furthermore, iMSC injected I/R eyes significantly decreased retinal inflammation as evidenced by reduced gene expression of IL1β, VCAM1, LAMA5, and CCL2 and improved b-wave amplitudes compared to that of saline-injected I/R eyes. Our study demonstrates that iMSCs can transfer mitochondria to immune cells to suppress the effector T cell population. Additionally, our current data indicate that iMSC can enhance differentiation of T cells into Foxp3 Tregs in vitro and therapeutically improve the retina’s immune function by upregulation of Tregs to decrease inflammation and reduce I/R injury-induced retinal degeneration in vivo.