One of the major problems influencing the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell
therapy is the poor cell survival following
transplantation. This is partly attributed to insufficient resistance of transplanted stem cells to oxidative and inflammatory stresses at the injured sites. In the current study, we demonstrated the pivotal role of
antioxidant levels in human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) dynamic in vitro anti-stress abilities against
lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/H2O2 intoxication and in vivo therapeutic efficacy in a murine
acute liver failure model induced by D-
galactosamine/LPS (Gal/LPS) by either reducing the
antioxidant levels with
diethyl maleate (DEM) or increasing
antioxidant levels with
edaravone. Both the anti- and
pro-oxidant treatments dramatically influenced the survival, apoptosis, and
reactive oxygen species (ROS) production of hUCMSCs through the MAPK-PKC-Nrf2 pathway in vitro. When compared with untreated and DEM-treated cells,
edaravone-treated hUCMSCs rescued NOD/SCID mice from Gal/LPS-induced death, significantly improved hepatic functions and promoted host liver regeneration. These effects were probably from increased stem cell homing, promoted proliferation, decreased apoptosis and enhanced secretion of
hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) under hepatic stress environment. In conclusion, elevating levels of
antioxidants in hUCMSCs with
edaravone can significantly influence their hepatic tissue repair capacity.