Mesenchymal stem cells alleviate liver injury and inflammation in preclinical alcoholic hepatitis modelsStem cells show promise in treating liver damage from alcohol

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Severe alcoholic hepatitis (SAH) is a life-threatening form of alcoholic liver disease resulting in high short-term mortality. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potent immunomodulatory effects and have been evaluated in various clinical trials for the treatment of chronic liver diseases. However, clinical evidence in patients with alcoholic hepatitis remains scarce, and the underlying mechanisms of MSCs in this population are not yet fully understood. METHODS: An integrative meta-analysis identified conserved transcriptomic signatures of alcoholic hepatitis. These signatures were validated in an ethanol-induced murine model. A mouse model of SAH was induced via subacute ethanol exposure (5 g/kg) combined with thioacetamide injection. MSCs were administered at two concentrations (5×10 or 1×10 cells), depending on the treatment group. RESULTS: In the animal model, MSCs treatment visibly alleviated liver injury induced by thioacetamide and ethanol. Significant reductions in tumor necrosis factor-α (p<0.05) and α-smooth muscle actin (p<0.01) levels were observed, accompanied by notable changes in inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin-1β, and transforming growth factor-β1 levels. From the meta-analysis, seven upregulated and 17 downregulated genes were identified. Subsequent quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses consistently validated four upregulated genes that demonstrated overlapping expression patterns across both the meta-analysis and in vivo experiments. CONCLUSIONS: MSCs therapy significantly attenuates liver injury, inflammation, and fibrosis in SAH model mice. The observed messenger RNA-protein expression mismatches highlight the complexity of molecular regulation in acute hepatitis and underscore the importance of multilevel analysis in evaluating stem cell therapy. These results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of MSC-mediated liver repair and suggest key targets for MSC therapy and response assessment in SAH.