The effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells combined with sodium selenite on Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Recent research found that sodium selenite (Na2SeO3) could ameliorate oxidative damage in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). Additionally, the effects of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AMSCs) in an animal model of HT were also reported. However, the effects of AMSCs combined with Na2SeO3 on HT are unknown. We investigated the combined effects of AMSCs and Na2SeO3 in a rat model of HT and the in vitro effect of Na2SeO3 on AMSCs using gene microarray analyses. In the HT rat model, the combination of AMSCs and Na2SeO3 restored thyroid tissue structure to that of normal controls and increased the levels of most antioxidant and inflammatory cytokines examined, but decreased the levels of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in HT thyroid tissues. At 0.5-20 µM, Na2SeO3 promoted AMSC growth and increased the levels of reduced glutathione and total antioxidant capacity in AMSCs (P<0.05). Na2SeO3 increased the levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and stem cell factor (SCF) in AMSC culture supernatants. The results of the gene microarray analyses showed that the expression levels of certain genes involved in mitosis, DNA replication and repair, ubiquitination, synthesis and metabolism, and mitochondrial transport changed in response to Na2SeO3 treatment. In conclusion, the combination of AMSCs and Na2SeO3 restored the function and structure of the thyroid in an HT model, and Na2SeO3 promoted the growth, improved the secretion, and the antioxidant capacity of AMSCs in vitro. This combination treatment may provide a new therapy for patients with HT.