Establishment of a Murine Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease Model with Scleroderma

The study successfully established a murine chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) model with scleroderma using BALB/c mice transplanted with B10.D2 bone marrow and spleen cells. The model demonstrated typical scleroderma features, such as skin thickening, mononuclear cell infiltration, reduced hair follicles, and loss of the atrophic fat layer. Histological and PCR analyses showed the presence of donor cells in the skin of allo-BMT mice, unlike in syngeneic controls. Flow cytometry revealed increased CD45+ cells, particularly CD11b+ and CD3+ cells, in the dermal infiltrates. Additionally, there was an up-regulation of mRNA for RANTES, TGF-β1, and collagen I in the sclerodermatous mice compared to controls. This model provided a basis for further investigation into cGVHD and scleroderma.