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Background It has been demonstrated previously that induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have immunosuppressive effects on activated T cells. However, the effects of iPSC-MSCs on quiescent T cells are still unknown. The aim of this study was to identify the immunomodulatory role of iPSC-MSCs on resting peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from allergic rhinitis (AR) patients. Methods PBMCs were cocultured with iPSC-MSCs without any stimulation, following which lymphocyte proliferation, activation of T cells, TH1/TH2 and regulatory T (Treg) cell differentiation, and Treg cell function were analyzed. The roles of soluble factors and cell–cell contact were examined to investigate the mechanisms involved. Results iPSC-MSCs promoted the proliferation of resting lymphocytes, activated CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and upregulated and activated Treg cells without any additional stimulation. In addition, iPSC-MSCs balanced biased TH1/TH2 cytokine levels. Cell–cell contact was confirmed to be a possible mechanism involved. NF-κB was identified to play an important role in the immunomodulatory effects of iPSC-MSCs on quiescent T cells. Conclusions iPSC-MSCs activate quiescent T cells and elevate regulatory T-cell response in AR patients, suggesting different immunomodulatory functions of iPSC-MSCs according to the phases of diseases. Therefore, iPSC-MSCs are a potential therapeutic candidate for treating allergic airway inflammation. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13287-018-0896-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Background Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potent immunomodulatory effects on multiple immune cells and have great potential in treating immune disorders. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) serve as an unlimited and noninvasive source of MSCs, and iPSC-MSCs have been reported to have more advantages and exhibit immunomodulation on T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. However, the effects of iPSC-MSCs on dendritic cells (DCs) are unclear. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of iPSC-MSCs on the differentiation, maturation, and function of DCs. Methods Human monocyte-derived DCs were induced and cultured in the presence or absence of iPSC-MSCs. Flow cytometry was used to analyze the phenotype and functions of DCs, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to study cytokine production. Results In this study, we successfully induced MSCs from different clones of human iPSCs. iPSC-MSCs exhibited a higher proliferation rate with less cell senescence than BM-MSCs. iPSC-MSCs inhibited the differentiation of human monocyte-derived DCs by both producing interleukin (IL)-10 and direct cell contact. Furthermore, iPSC-MSCs did not affect immature DCs to become mature DCs, but modulated their functional properties by increasing their phagocytic ability and inhibiting their ability to stimulate proliferation of lymphocytes. More importantly, iPSC-MSCs induced the generation of IL-10-producing regulatory DCs in the process of maturation, which was mostly mediated by a cell-cell contact mechanism. Conclusions Our results indicate an important role for iPSC-MSCs in the modulation of DC differentiation and function, supporting the clinical application of iPSC-MSCs in DC-mediated immune diseases. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13287-017-0499-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.