Fig 1: A1AT-releasing allogeneic HIP iECs prevent emphysema development in Serpina-/- B6 mice. (A) Serpina-/- B6 mice were challenged with LPS via their airways to trigger emphysematous lung disease. (B) Some Serpina-/- B6 mice were treated with MHC-engineered A1AT-secreting allogeneic (ealloS1e) or allogeneic HIP (ealloHIPS1e) iECs 7 d before the LPS challenge. Healthy WT B6 animals served as controls. (C) The study protocol included monitoring of graft survival, as well as functional and morphologic lung assessments. (D) Serum A1AT levels were quantified in all groups (mean ± SD, six animals in WT B6, five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS without cell injections at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloS1e iECs at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 14, and five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 28; ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test for 14-d groups). (E and F) The survival of FLuc+ ealloS1e iECs (E, four animals) and ealloHIPS1e iECs (F, nine animals) in Serpina-/- B6 recipients was longitudinally followed by BLI. BLI signals of individual animals are plotted, representative pictures are shown. (G–M) FlexiVent lung physiology assessments were done after 14 and 28 d (scatter dot plots, mean ± SD, six animals in WT B6, five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS without cell injections at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloS1e iECs at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 14, and five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 28; ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test for 14-d groups). (N–Q) Stereological lung assessments were done in all groups (mean ± SD, six animals in WT B6, five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS without cell injections at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloS1e iECs at day 14, four animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 14, and five animals in Serpina-/- B6 LPS ealloHIPS1e iECs at day 28; ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc test for 14-d groups).