Prior transfusion of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can effectively alleviate symptoms of motion sickness in mice through interleukin 10 secretion.

Background: Motion sickness (MS) is a disease that occurs during unbalanced movement, characterized by gastrointestinal symptoms and autonomic nervous system activation. Current clinical treatments for MS are limited. Recent evidence indicates that the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines increase during MS and are associated with an inner ear immune imbalance. In the present study, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been shown to exert strong immuno-suppressive effects.

Aim: To explore whether umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) can prevent the occurrence of MS, and the underlying mechanism regulated by MSCs in a mouse model of MS.

Methods: A total of 144 (equal numbers of males and females) 5wkold BALB/c mice were randomly divided into five groups: Normal group ( = 16), MS group ( = 32), MSCs group ( = 32), MS + MSCs group ( = 32), and MS + AS101/MSCs group ( = 32). The MSCs group ( = 32), MS + MSCs group ( = 32), and MS + AS101/MSCs group ( = 32) were preventively transplanted with UC-MSCs or AS101-treated UC-MSCs (1 × 10 cells/mouse). Mice in the MS ( = 32), MS + MSCs, and MS + AS101/MSCs groups were subjected to rotation on a centrifuge for 10 min at 8 × /min for MS model establishment on days 3, 5, 8, and 10 after UC-MSCs injection. The Morris water maze (MWM) test was used to observe the symptom of dizziness. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) were used to detect the levels of inflammatory cytokines in mice peripheral blood and the petrous part of the temporal bone samples. Western blot analysis was performed to analyze the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the cochlear tissues. Histological examination was performed by hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining for conventional morphological evaluation in the petrous part of temporal bone samples.

Results: The MWM test demonstrated that UC-MSCs improved the symptoms of MS. The MS + MSCs group was faster than the MS group on days 3 and 5 ( = 0.036 and = 0.002, respectively). ELISA and RT-qPCR showed that the serum and mRNA levels of interleukin-10 (IL-10) in the cochlear tissues were increased after transplantation with UC-MSCs (MS + MSCs group MS group at 3 and 5 d, = 0.002 and < 0.001, respectively). RT-qPCR results confirmed a significant increase in IL-10 levels at four time points (MS + MSCs group MS group, = 0.009, = 0.009, = 0.048, and = 0.049, respectively). This suggested that UC-MSCs reduced the sensitivity of the vestibular microenvironment by secreting IL-10. Moreover, Western blot analysis showed that the MSCs activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway in the cochlear tissues. The levels of IL-10, IL-10RA, JAK2, STAT3, and phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT3 in the MS + MSCs group were increased compared to those of the MS group ( < 0.05). The morphological changes in the four groups showed no significant differences. The role of IL-10 secretion on the ability of UC-MSCs to successfully improve the symptoms of MS was confirmed by the diminished therapeutic effects associated with treatment with the IL-10 inhibitor ammonium trichloro (dioxoethylene-o,o') tellurate (AS101).

Conclusion: Prophylactic transplantation of UC-MSCs can alleviate the clinical symptoms of MS in mice, particularly at 3-5 d after preventive transplantation. The mechanism for UC-MSCs to reduce the sensitivity of vestibular cortex imbalance may be the secretion of IL-10. The next step is to demonstrate the possibility of curing MS in the vestibular environment by intermittent transplantation of MSCs. Above all, MSCs are expected to become a new method for the clinical prevention and treatment of MS.