Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells improve post-ischemia neurological function in rats via the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3β/CRMP-2 pathway

Protective effects of puerarin combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on nerve injury in rats with ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) transplantation shows promise for treating ischemic stroke, but the ischemic environment that follows cerebral infarction hinders the survival of transplanted cells. We aimed to study the effects of puerarin (Pue) in combination with BM-MSCs on cerebral ischemic injury.

METHODS

After middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) models were prepared by suture-occluded method, rats were randomly allocated to the sham, MCAO, Pue (50 mg/kg), BM-MSCs (2×106), and BM-MSCs+Pue groups. The neurological function, infarct area, levels of inflammation-related factors, brain tissue damage, apoptosis, BrdU, Beclin1, and LC3 levels were then assessed.

RESULTS

Pue and BM-MSCs reduced the modified neurological severity score, cerebral infarction area, and serum inflammation-related factor levels for MCAO rats. Furthermore, Pue and BM-MSCs interventions ameliorated brain tissue damage, and repressed apoptosis of brain tissues in MCAO rats. Moreover, Pue or BM-MSCs enhanced BrdU expression, restrained LC3II/LC3I ratio and Beclin 1 expression in MCAO rats' brain tissues. Importantly, the combination of Pue and BM-MSCs exhibited more pronounced effects on aforementioned outcomes.

CONCLUSION

The combination of Pue and BM-MSCs facilitated the recovery of neurological function in rats after cerebral ischemic damage, and the mechanisms may correlate with the repression of neuronal apoptosis, inflammation, and autophagy.

Impact of social isolation on corticosterone release and recovery after stroke in aged rats: A behavioral and biochemical analysis

Social isolation (SI) after stroke reduces recovery. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of SI on corticosterone release and recovery after stroke in aged rats. A total of 64 male Wistar rats (aged 24 months) were used in the present study. All rats were housed in pairs for two weeks. After two weeks, rats were randomly assigned to one of four groups: (1) rats underwent sham surgery and kept socially isolated (control/social isolated (CO/SI) group); (2) rats underwent sham surgery and kept pair housed (control/pair housed (CO/PH) group); (3) rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery and kept socially isolated (stroke/isolated (ST/SI) group); (4) rats underwent MCAO surgery and kept pair housed (stroke/pair housed (ST/PH)) group. Behaviors were assessed using the adhesive removal test, rotarod test and social interaction test at 1st, 7th, 14th and 21st days after stroke. Serum biochemical analysis was also performed on the behavioral testing days. Results showed THAT serum corticosterone and MDA levels in CO/PH group were significantly lower than CO/SI group. Serum BDNF levels in CO/PH group was significantly higher than CO/SI group. Serum corticosterone and MDA levels in ST/PH group were lower than ST/SI group. In ST/PH group, serum Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and BDNF levels were significantly higher than ST/SI group. Biochemical analysis of certain regions of the brain (hippocampus, striatum and cerebral cortex) was performed on 21st day after stroke. In the hippocampus of CO/PH group, BDNF and TAC levels were significantly higher than CO/SI group. The hippocampal MDA level of CO/PH group were significantly lower than CO/SI group. BDNF and TAC levels in the hippocampus, striatum and cerebral cortex of ST/PH group were significantly higher and MDA level was significantly lower as compared with ST/SI group. Both ischemic groups showed sensorimotor recovery over a 21-day period, but recovery of ST/PH group was significantly greater than ST/SI group. Total social interaction time in ST/PH group was significantly longer than ST/SI group. Based on the results of this study, social interaction after stroke enhances histologic and sensorimotor recovery through reduction of HPA activity and corticosterone release, leading to increased TAC and BDNF levels.

Engineered exosomes reprogram Gli1+ cells in vivo to prevent calcification of vascular grafts and autologous pathological vessels

Calcification of autologous pathological vessels and tissue engineering blood vessels (TEBVs) is a thorny problem in clinic. However, there is no effective and noninvasive treatment that is available against the calcification of TEBVs and autologous pathological vessels. Gli1+ cells are progenitors of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and can differentiate into osteoblast-like cells, leading to vascular calcification. Our results showed that the spatiotemporal distribution of Gli1+ cells in TEBVs was positively correlated with the degree of TEBV calcification. An anticalcification approach was designed consisting of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells delivering lncRNA-ANCR to construct the engineered exosome-Ancr/E7-EXO. The results showed that Ancr/E7-EXO effectively targeted Gli1+ cells, promoting rapid SMC reconstruction and markedly inhibiting Gli1+ cell differentiation into osteoblast-like cells. Moreover, Ancr/E7-EXO significantly inhibited vascular calcification caused by chronic kidney disease. Therefore, Ancr/E7-EXO reprogrammed Gli1+ cells to prevent calcification of vascular graft and autologous pathological vessel, providing unique insights for an effective anticalcification.

DPSC-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote Rat Jawbone Regeneration

Repair and functional reconstruction of large jawbone defects remain one of the challenges in the field of head and neck surgery. The recent progress in tissue engineering technologies and stem cell biology has significantly promoted the development of regenerative reconstruction of jawbone defects. The multiple trophic activities of extracellular vesicles (EVs) produced by mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may play a critical role in their therapeutic effects. Accumulating evidence has shown the promise of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) in bone regeneration, but less is known about the regenerative effects of DPSC-EVs on jawbone defects. The purpose of this study is to explore the osteogenic effects of DPSC-EVs on jawbone marrow-derived MSCs (JB-MSCs) in vitro and their osteoinductive effects in a mandibular bone defect model in rats. Our results showed that JB-MSCs could efficiently uptake DPSC-EVs, which in turn significantly promoted the expression of osteogenic genes, such as runt-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and osteocalcin (OCN), as well as the osteogenic differentiation capability of JB-MSCs. Meanwhile, we found that the pro-osteogenic effect in vitro induced by DPSC-EVs was comparable to that induced by BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein 2), currently the only Food and Drug Administration-approved osteoinductive growth factor. In vivo, animals that were locally treated with DPSC-EVs laden with a commercially available collagen membrane exhibited a relatively fast wound closure and increased new bone density at the mandible defects. Our results provide evidence for the osteogenic and osteoinductive effects of DPSC-EVs on jawbone regeneration. Due to the accessibility, rapid proliferation, and osteogenic propensity of DPSCs, DPSC-EVs may represent a safe cell-free therapeutic approach for craniofacial bone regeneration.

Regulation of Chondrocyte Differentiation by miR-455-3p Secreted by Bone Marrow Stem Cells through Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog Deleted on Chromosome Ten/Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase-Protein Kinase B

The effects of the regulation of phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome ten (PTEN) by microribonucleic acid- (miR-) 455-3p on bone marrow stem cells' (BMSCs') chondrogenic development were examined based on the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) signal pathway. The alterations in miR-455-3p and PTEN were identified using osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy chondrocytes. Rats raised on the SD diet had their BMSCs isolated for chondrocyte-induced differentiation (blank group), transfected miR-455-3p mimic (mimic group), and inhibitor (inhibitor group). Besides, cell proliferation, alizarin red mineralization staining, and the activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were detected. Real-time fluorescent quantitation polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot were utilized to detect Runx2, OPN, OSX, COL2A1 mRNA, and the difference between PI3K and AKT. Dual-luciferase reporter (DLR) genes were selected to analyze the target relationship of miR-455-3p to PTEN. It was demonstrated that miR-455-3p in OA was downregulated, while PTEN was upregulated (P < 0.05) in comparison to healthy chondrocytes (P < 0.05). Versus those in the blank group, alizarin red mineralization staining and the activity of ALP increased; RUNX, OPN, OSX, COL2A1 mRNA, p-PI3K, and p-AKT were elevated in the mimic group (P < 0.05). Versus those in the blank and mimic groups, alizarin red mineralization staining and the activity of ALP reduced; RUNX, OPN, OSX, COL2A1 mRNA, p-PI3K, and p-AKT were downregulated in the inhibitor group (P < 0.05). miR-455-3p could target PTEN to inhibit its expression, thus activating the PI3K/AKT signal pathway and promoting BMSCs chondrocyte-induced differentiation. The research results provided reference for the occurrence of OA and the study on therapeutic target.

Renal interstitial cells promote nephron regeneration by secreting prostaglandin E2

In organ regeneration, progenitor and stem cells reside in their native microenvironment, which provides dynamic physical and chemical cues essential to their survival, proliferation, and differentiation. However, the types of cells that form the native microenvironment for renal progenitor cells (RPCs) have not been clarified. Here, single-cell sequencing of zebrafish kidney reveals fabp10a as a principal marker of renal interstitial cells (RICs), which can be specifically labeled by GFP under the control of fabp10a promoter in the fabp10a:GFP transgenic zebrafish. During nephron regeneration, the formation of nephrons is supported by RICs that form a network to wrap the RPC aggregates. RICs that are in close contact with RPC aggregates express cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox2) and secrete prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Inhibiting PGE2 production prevents nephrogenesis by reducing the proliferation of RPCs. PGE2 cooperates with Wnt4a to promote nephron maturation by regulating β-catenin stability of RPC aggregates. Overall, these findings indicate that RICs provide a necessary microenvironment for rapid nephrogenesis during nephron regeneration.

Progesterone attenuates neurological deficits and exerts a protective effect on damaged axons via the PI3K/AKT/mTOR-dependent pathway in a mouse model of intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating event with high disability and fatality rates. However, there is a lack of effective treatments for this condition. We aimed to investigate the neuroprotective and axonal regenerative effects of progesterone after ICH. For this purpose, an ICH model was established in adult mice by injecting type VII collagenase into the striatum; the mice were then treated with progesterone (8 mg/kg). Hematoma absorption, neurological scores, and brain water content were evaluated on days one, three, and seven after the ICH. The effect of progesterone on inflammation and axonal regeneration was examined on day three after the ICH using western blotting, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, as well as hematoxylin-eosin, Nissl, and Luxol fast blue staining. In addition, we combined progesterone with the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/serine/threonine-specific protein kinase (PI3K/AKT) inhibitor, LY294002, to explore its potential neuroprotective mechanisms. Administration of progesterone attenuated the neurological deficits and expression of inflammatory cytokines and promoted axonal regeneration after ICH, this effect was blocked by LY294002. Collectively, these results suggest that progesterone could reduce axonal damage and produced partial neuroprotective effects after ICH through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, providing a new therapeutic target and basis for the treatment of ICH.

AKT/GSK-3β signaling is altered through downregulation of mTOR during cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion injury

PURPOSE

Cellular responses following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury are critical to recovery and survival after ischemic stroke. Understanding of these cellular responses can help the design of therapies to protect brain tissue and promote recovery after stroke. One of these cellular responses may be mediated by the AKT (protein kinase B) signal transduction pathway. This study was aimed to investigate the cerebral ischemia-induced alterations of AKT signaling and the upstream molecular pathways.

METHODS

We modeled cerebral ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion in 2-3-month-old male C57BL/6J mice and then analyze the brain samples by using quantitative Western blots and phosphorylation/activation-dependent kinase antibodies. Cerebral ischemia was confirmed by staining of brain slices with 1% 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and Nissl, as well as neurological assessments of the mice 24 h after ischemia-reperfusion surgery.

RESULTS

We found marked downregulation of AKT within 12 h of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, which leads to overactivation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Furthermore, we found that the downregulation of AKT was mediated by downregulation of mTORC2 (the complex 2 of the mechanistic target of rapamycin) instead of its common upstream kinases, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide new insight into the cellular responses to ischemia/reperfusion brain injury and will help develop new treatments targeting the AKT signaling pathway for the treatment of ischemic stroke.

The Long Non-coding RNA SNHG12 Functions as a Competing Endogenous RNA to Modulate the Progression of Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Increasing research has proved that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a critical role in a variety of biological processes. However, their functions in cerebral ischemia are still unclear. We found that the small nucleolar RNA host gene 12 (SNHG12) is a new type of lncRNA induced by ischemia/reperfusion. Here, we show that the expression of SNHG12 was upregulated in the brain tissue of mice exposed to middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) and primary mouse cerebral cortex neurons treated with oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). Mechanistically, SNHG12 knockdown resulted in larger infarct sizes and worse neurological scores in MCAO/R mice. Consistent with the in vivo results, SNHG12 upregulation significantly increased the viability and prevented apoptosis of neurons cultured under OGD/R conditions. In addition, we found that SNHG12 acts as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) with microRNA (miR)-136-5p, thereby regulating the inhibition of its endogenous target Bcl-2. Moreover, SNHG12 was proven to target miR-136-5p, increasing Bcl-2 expression, which finally led to the activation of PI3K/AKT signaling. In conclusion, we demonstrated that SNHG12 acts as a ceRNA of miR-136-5p, thereby targets and regulates the expression of Bcl-2, which attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury via activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. This knowledge helps to better understand the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemic stroke and may provide new treatment options for this disease.

Effect of Neurorepair for Motor Functional Recovery Enhanced by Total Saponins From Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. Treatment in a Rat Model of Focal Ischemia

Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. (TTM), is a perennial herb from Liliaceae, that has been widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine treating cephalgia and traumatic hemorrhage. The present work was designed to investigate whether the total saponins from Trillium tschonoskii Maxim. (TSTT) would promote brain remodeling and improve gait impairment in the chronic phase of ischemic stroke. A focal ischemic model of male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats was established by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Six hours later, rats were intragastrically treated with TSTT (120, 60, and 30 mg/kg) and once daily up to day 30. The gait changes were assessed by the CatWalk-automated gait analysis system. The brain tissues injuries, cerebral perfusion and changes of axonal microstructures were detected by multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), followed by histological examinations. The axonal regeneration related signaling pathways including phosphatidylinositol 3-kinases (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT)/glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3)/collapsin response mediator protein-2 (CRMP-2) were measured by western blotting. TSTT treatment significantly improved gait impairment of rats. MRI analysis revealed that TSTT alleviated tissues injuries, significantly improved cerebral blood flow (CBF), enhanced microstructural integrity of axon and myelin sheath in the ipsilesional sensorimotor cortex and internal capsule. In parallel to MRI findings, TSTT preserved myelinated axons and promoted oligodendrogenesis. Specifically, TSTT interventions markedly up-regulated expression of phosphorylated GSK-3, accompanied by increased expression of phosphorylated PI3K, AKT, but reduced phosphorylated CRMP-2 expression. Taken together, our results suggested that TSTT facilitated brain remodeling. This correlated with improving CBF, encouraging reorganization of axonal microstructure, promoting oligodendrogenesis and activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3/CRMP-2 signaling, thereby improving poststroke gait impairments.