Inmunometabolism and Immunosupression mediated by Mesenchymal stem cells: Elizondo Lab study the role of cellular metabolism on pathologies of an inflammatory nature, proposing its study and modulation as a new therapeutic tool for the treatment of pathologies of high impact in society such as obesity and rheumatoid arthritis among other.

Chronic inflammation is a common denominator for a series of pathologies that are characterized by the presence of inflammatory cell infiltrates and a massive production of cytokines, producing a gradual loss of cellular homeostasis. Unfortunately, the mechanisms of chronic inflammation in a series of metabolic, autoimmune, neurodegenerative and cardiovascular pathologies are unknown.

Pathologies such as obesity or autoimmune diseases are characterized by high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and infiltration of inflammatory cells. In the Immunometabolism and Stem Cell Laboratory, we are beginning to investigate how cell metabolism can modulate the immunosuppressive properties of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).

MSCs have excellent immuno-regulatory properties, due to their ability to inhibit the proliferation of pro-inflammatory cells, and induce the growth of cells with anti-inflammatory properties, establishing them as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of inflammatory and auto-immune pathologies. However, enthusiasm for the therapeutic use of MSCs has waned due to inconsistencies between the results obtained between pre-clinical models and clinical studies.

For this reason, there has been a growing interest in understanding how it is possible to enhance the therapeutic properties of MSCs, in which it has been suggested that the regulation of cellular metabolism and its knowledge, would be able to modulate the immunosuppressive properties of MSCs.