Dental pulp mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes inhibit neuroinflammation and microglial pyroptosis in subarachnoid hemorrhage via the miRNA-197-3p/FOXO3 axis.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a severe stroke subtype that lacks effective treatment. Exosomes derived from human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are a promising acellular therapeutic strategy for neurological diseases. However, the therapeutic effects of DPSC-derived exosomes (DPSC-Exos) on SAH remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of action of DPSC-Exos in SAH. SAH was established using 120 male Sprague-Dawley rats. One hour after SAH induction, DPSC-Exos were administered via tail vein injection. To investigate the effect of DPSC-Exos, SAH grading, short-term and long-term neurobehavioral assessments, brain water content, western blot (WB), immunofluorescence staining, Nissl staining, and HE staining were performed. The role of miR-197-3p/FOXO3 in regulating pyroptosis was demonstrated through miRNA sequencing, bioinformatics analysis, and rescue experiments. The SAH model in vitro was established by stimulating BV2 cells with hemoglobin (Hb) and the underlying mechanism of DPSC-Exos was investigated through WB and Hoechst/PI staining. The expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α) were increased after SAH. DPSC-Exos alleviated brain edema and neuroinflammation by inhibiting the expression of FOXO3 and reducing NLRP3 inflammasome activation, leading to improved neurobehavioral functions at 24 h after SAH. In vitro, the expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome components (NLRP3 and caspase1-p20), GSDMD-N, and IL-18 was inhibited in BV2 cells pretreated with DPSC-Exos. Importantly, DPSC-Exos overexpressing miR-197-3p had a more obvious protective effect than those from NC-transfected DPSCs, while those from DPSCs transfected with the miR-197-3p inhibitor had a weaker protective effect. Functional studies indicated that miR-197-3p bound to the 3'-untranslated region of FOXO3, inhibiting its transcription. Furthermore, the overexpression of FOXO3 reversed the protective effects of miR-197-3p. DPSC-Exos inhibited activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome and related cytokine release via the miR-197-3p/FOXO3 pathway, alleviated neuroinflammation, and inhibited microglial pyroptosis. These findings suggest that using DPSC-Exos is a promising therapeutic strategy for SAH.

Liang X ，Miao Y ，Tong X ，Chen J ，Liu H ，He Z ，Liu A ，Hu Z ... -  《JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY》

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes attenuate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury-induced neuroinflammation and pyroptosis by modulating microglia M1/M2 phenotypes.

Pyroptosis mediated by NLRP3 inflammasome plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. Mounting evidences have verified the efficacy of exosomes by relieving the inflammatory response during cerebral I/R injury, but the specific mechanism has not been well elucidated. This study aimed to clarify whether the neuroprotective effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (BMSC-Exos) are associated with the attenuation of NLPR3-mediated neuron pyroptosis by modulating microglial polarization. Rats were initially subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion. Then, BMSC-Exos were administered intravenously 2 h after MCAO. The neuroprotective effects were measured using a modified neurological severity score(mNSS), triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, brain water content, Morris water maze,and CatWalk system. Western blotting and immunofluorescence staining were applied to detect NLRP3 inflammasome and pyroptosis. Microglial polarization was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunofluorescence staining. To mimic cerebral I/R injury in vitro, BV2 and PC12 cells were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation. After treatment with PBS, BMSC-Exos, IL-4, or LPS, BV2 cells were co-cultured with PC12 cells in a Transwell system. BMSC-Exos reduced the brain infarct area and brain water content at 24 h dose dependently and improved the neurological function up to 5 weeks after stroke. In vivo, NLRP3 inflammasome- and pyroptosis-related proteins were mainly expressed on neurons and downregulated by BMSC-Exos. Furthermore, cerebral I/R injury-induced M1-polarized microglia could be shifted toward M2 phenotype by BMSC-Exos. In vitro, BMSC-Exos alleviated the neuron pyroptosis partially by modulating microglial polarization. BMSC-Exos could ameliorate cerebral I/R injury via suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated inflammation and pyroptosis by modulating microglial polarization.

Liu X ，Zhang M ，Liu H ，Zhu R ，He H ，Zhou Y ，Zhang Y ，Li C ，Liang D ，Zeng Q ，Huang G ... -  《-》

Huc-MSCs-derived exosomes attenuate inflammatory pain by regulating microglia pyroptosis and autophagy via the miR-146a-5p/TRAF6 axis.

Chronic inflammatory pain significantly reduces the quality of life and lacks effective interventions. In recent years, human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (huc-MSCs)-derived exosomes have been used to relieve neuropathic pain and other inflammatory diseases as a promising cell-free therapeutic strategy. However, the therapeutic value of huc-MSCs-derived exosomes in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain remains to be confirmed. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic effect and related mechanisms of huc-MSCs-derived exosomes in a chronic inflammatory pain model. C57BL/6J male mice were used to establish a CFA-induced inflammatory pain model, and huc-MSCs-derived exosomes were intrathecally injected for 4 consecutive days. BV2 microglia cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) plus adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to investigate the effect of huc-MSCs-derived exosomes on pyroptosis and autophagy. Bioinformatic analysis and rescue experiments were used to demonstrate the role of miR-146a-5p/ TRAF6 in regulating pyroptosis and autophagy. Western blotting, RT-qPCR, small interfering RNA and Yo-Pro-1 dye staining were performed to investigate the related mechanisms. Huc-MSCs-derived exosomes alleviated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in CFA-induced inflammatory pain. Furthermore, huc-MSCs-derived exosomes attenuated neuroinflammation by increasing the expression of autophagy-related proteins (LC3-II and beclin1) and inhibiting the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in the spinal cord dorsal horn. In vitro, NLRP3 inflammasome components (NLRP3, caspase1-p20, ASC) and gasdermin D (GSDMD-F, GSDMD-N) were inhibited in BV2 cells pretreated with huc-MSCs-derived exosomes. Western blot and Yo-Pro-1 dye staining demonstrated that 3-MA, an autophagy inhibitor, weakened the protective effect of huc-MSCs-derived exosomes on BV2 cell pyroptosis. Importantly, huc-MSCs-derived exosomes transfected with miR-146a-5p mimic promoted autophagy and inhibited BV2 cell pyroptosis. TRAF6, as a target gene of miR-146a-5p, was knocked down via small-interfering RNA, which increased pyroptosis and inhibited autophagy. Huc-MSCs-derived exosomes attenuated inflammatory pain via miR-146a-5p/TRAF6, which increased the level of autophagy and inhibited pyroptosis.

Hua T ，Yang M ，Song H ，Kong E ，Deng M ，Li Y ，Li J ，Liu Z ，Fu H ，Wang Y ，Yuan H ... -  《JOURNAL OF NANOBIOTECHNOLOGY》

Dental pulp stem cell-derived exosomes alleviate cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury through suppressing inflammatory response.

The study aimed to determine whether dental pulp stem cell-derived exosomes (DPSC-Exos) exert protective effects against cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury and explore its underlying mechanism. Exosomes were isolated from the culture medium of human DPSC. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to 2 hours transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) injury followed by 2 hours reperfusion, after which singular injection of DPSC-Exos via tail vein was administrated. Brain oedema, cerebral infarction and neurological impairment were measured on day 7 after exosomes injection. Then, oxygen-glucose deprivation-reperfusion (OGD/R) induced BV2 cells were studied to analyse the therapeutic effects of DPSC-Exos on I/R injury in vitro. Protein levels of TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB p65, HMGB1, IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α were determined by western blot or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The cytoplasmic translocation of HMGB1 was detected by immunofluorescence staining. DPSC-Exos alleviated brain oedema, cerebral infarction and neurological impairment in I/R mice. DPSC-Exos inhibited the I/R-mediated expression of TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB significantly. DPSC-Exos also reduced the protein expression of IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α compared with those of the control both in vitro and in vivo. Meanwhile, DPSC-Exos markedly decreased the HMGB1 cytoplasmic translocation induced by I/R damage. DPSC-Exos can ameliorate I/R-induced cerebral injury in mice. Its anti-inflammatory mechanism might be related with the inhibition of the HMGB1/TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB pathway.

Li S ，Luo L ，He Y ，Li R ，Xiang Y ，Xing Z ，Li Y ，Albashari AA ，Liao X ，Zhang K ，Gao L ，Ye Q ... -  《-》

miR-99b-3p/Mmp13 axis regulates NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent microglial pyroptosis and alleviates neuropathic pain via the promotion of autophagy.

Gao X ，Gao LF ，Zhang ZY ，Jia S ，Meng CY ... -  《-》