Comparative study of the therapeutic effect of pomegranate alone or in combination with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on experimentally induced gastric ulcer in adult male rats: A histological and immunohistochemical study

therapeutic effects. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) are a novel approach with promising therapeutic potential for curing human diseases.Aim of the work: To evaluate the effect of pomegranate and BMSCs on experimentally induced gastric ulcer in adult male rats.Materials and Methods: Sixty adult male rats were divided into four groups. Group I kept as the control group. Group II (Gastric ulcer), rats received 100% ethanol orally by gastric tube. Group (III) subdivided into 3 subgroups. Subgroup IIIa included rats with gastric ulcer that treated with pomegranate only. Subgroup IIIb, rats with gastric ulcer treated with BMSCs alone. Subgroup IIIc; gastric ulcer rats treated with a combination of pomegranate and BMSCs. Group IV included the untreated gastric ulcer rats. Fundus of stomach specimens were prepared and examined using histological and immunohistochemical techniques.Results: Groups II and IV showed various changes as deep erosion, marked damage of most of the cells. The presence of the inflammatory cells in gastric mucosa were supported by a significant increase of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) expression and collagen fibers depositions (P<0.01). A significant decrease of Periodic Acid Schiff (PAS) positive reaction and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was observed (P<0.01). Subgroup IIIa showed attenuation of some histological changes, while subgroups IIIb and IIIc revealed more improvement of the histological and immunohistochemical changes described before.Conclusion: BMSCs can ameliorate experimentally-induced gastric injury in rats and protect the gastric tissue. Addition of pomegranate to BMSCs can lead to better results.