{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,11]],"date-time":"2026-08-11T22:24:39Z","timestamp":1786487079121,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1764806400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["82371568\uff0c82570728"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["82371568\uff0c82570728"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Shenzhen Science and Technology Program","award":["JCYJ20220818102818039"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JCYJ20220818102818039"]}]},{"name":"Shenzhen Biomedical Industry Major Public Service Platform and Core Technology Research Special Support Plan","award":["XMHT20220104048"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["XMHT20220104048"]}]},{"name":"BYD Charity Foundation","award":["PUSH-BYD JCYJ20220401, PUSH-BYD JCYJ20220"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PUSH-BYD JCYJ20220401, PUSH-BYD JCYJ20220"]}]},{"name":"Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province","award":["A2024220"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["A2024220"]}]},{"name":"Peking University Shenzhen Hospital Research Foundation","award":["JCYJ 2021014"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["JCYJ 2021014"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) is a liver disease marked by immune-mediated hepatocyte damage. Current treatments have variable patient responses and considerable side effects, highlighting the need for alternative therapies. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) have shown therapeutic potential in liver diseases, but their mechanisms in AIH remain unclear.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A Concanavalin A (ConA)-induced AIH-like mouse model was used to assess the therapeutic effects of hUC-MSCs. Survival, liver function-related serum marker expression, histopathology, and apoptosis were evaluated. Metabolomic profiling and ferroptosis-related markers were analyzed to uncover potential mechanisms.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      In ConA-induced AIH-like mouse model challenged with a lethal dose of ConA, hUC-MSC treatment significantly ameliorated liver tissue damage and serum liver function parameters, alleviated hepatocyte apoptosis, and improved survival. Metabolomic and ontology analyses of mouse liver tissue samples revealed that hUC-MSCs treatment altered the levels of metabolites (Glu derivatives and peptides) functionally associated with ferroptosis-related pathways. hUC-MSCs partially reversed ConA-induced malondialdehyde (MDA), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), glutamate, and Fe\n                      <jats:sup>2+<\/jats:sup>\n                      , while restoring reduced glutathione (GSH). Expression of COX2 was downregulated, whereas key ferroptosis suppressors, SLC7A11, GPX4, and FTH1, were upregulated following hUC-MSC treatment.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Based on the above evidence, we propose that hUC-MSCs may ameliorate ConA-induced liver injury in mice, potentially through modulation of ferroptosis-related pathways, and we support further investigation of hUC-MSCs as potential treatments for AIH. We believe that further in-depth studies are still needed to elaborate on the detailed regulatory mechanisms of MSCs on the ferroptosis pathway during the treatment of AIH.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0337060","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,4]],"date-time":"2025-12-04T18:28:19Z","timestamp":1764872899000},"page":"e0337060","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate autoimmune hepatitis by inhibiting hepatic 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