Secretome of Multipotent Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as a Promising Treatment and for Rehabilitation of Patients with the Novel Coronaviral Infection

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells alleviate early-stage pulmonary fibrosis in a uPAR-dependent manner

Pulmonary fibrosis, a debilitating lung disorder characterised by excessive fibrous tissue accumulation in lung parenchyma, compromises respiratory function leading to a life-threatening respiratory failure. While its origins are multifaceted and poorly understood, the urokinase system, including urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR), plays a significant role in regulating fibrotic response, extracellular matrix remodelling, and tissue repair. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold promise in regenerative medicine for treating pulmonary fibrosis. Our study aimed to investigate the potential of MSCs to inhibit pulmonary fibrosis as well as the contribution of uPAR expression to this effect. We found that intravenous MSC administration significantly reduced lung fibrosis in the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis model in mice as revealed by MRI and histological evaluations. Notably, administering the MSCs isolated from adipose tissue of uPAR knockout mice (Plaur-/- MSCs) attenuated lung fibrosis to a lesser extent as compared to WT MSCs. Collagen deposition, a hallmark of fibrosis, was markedly reduced in lungs treated with WT MSCs versus Plaur-/- MSCs. Along with that, endogenous uPA levels were affected differently; after Plaur-/- MSCs were administered, the uPA content was specifically decreased within the blood vessels. Our findings support the potential of MSC treatment in attenuating pulmonary fibrosis. We provide evidence that the observed anti-fibrotic effect depends on uPAR expression in MSCs, suggesting that uPAR might counteract the uPA accumulation in lungs.

[The secretome of mesenchymal stromal cells as a new hope in the treatment of acute brain tissue injuries]

Ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes, traumatic brain injury, bacterial and viral encephalitis, toxic and metabolic encephalopathies are very different pathologies. But, they have much more in common than it might seem at first glance. In this review, the authors propose to consider these brain pathologies from the point of view of the unity of their pathogenetic mechanisms and approaches to therapy. Particular attention is paid to promising therapeutic approaches, such as therapy using cells and their secretion products: an analysis of the accumulated experimental data, the advantages and limitations of these approaches in the treatment of brain damage was carried out. The review may be of interest both to specialists in the field of neurology, neurosurgery and neurorehabilitation, and to readers who want to learn more about the progress of regenerative biomedicine in the treatment of brain pathologies.