An overview of the myocardial regeneration potential of cardiac c-Kit+ progenitor cells via PI3K and MAPK signaling pathways

The proliferation/migration ability mediated by CD151/PI3K/AKT pathway determines the therapeutic effect of hUC-MSCs transplantation on rheumatoid arthritis

OBJECTIVE

To elucidate the underlying mechanism by which the proliferation and migration abilities of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) determine their therapeutic efficacy in rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

METHODS

The DBA/1J mice were utilized to establish a collagen-induced RA (CIA) mouse model and to validate the therapeutic efficacy of hUC-MSCs transfected with CD151 siRNA. RNA-seq, QT-PCR and western blotting were utilized to evaluate the mRNA and protein levels of the PI3K/AKT pathway, respectively.

RESULTS

IFN-γ significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration abilities of hUC-MSCs, up-regulating the expression of CD151, a gene related to cell proliferation and migration. Effective inhibition of this effect was achieved through CD151 siRNA treatment. However, IFN-γ did not affect hUC-MSCs differentiation or changes in cell surface markers. Additionally, transplantation of CD151-interfered hUC-MSCs (siRNA-CD151-hUC-MSCs) resulted in decreased colonization in the toes of CIA mice and worse therapeutic effects compared to empty vector treatment (siRNA-NC-hUC-MSCs).

CONCLUSION

IFN-γ facilitates the proliferation and migration of hUC-MSCs through the CD151/PI3K/AKT pathway. The therapeutic efficacy of siRNA-CD151-hUC-MSCs was found to be inferior to that of siRNA-NC-hUC-MSCs.

Toward the latest advancements in cardiac regeneration using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) technology: approaches and challenges

A novel approach to treating heart failures was developed with the introduction of iPSC technology. Knowledge in regenerative medicine, developmental biology, and the identification of illnesses at the cellular level has exploded since the discovery of iPSCs. One of the most frequent causes of mortality associated with cardiovascular disease is the loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs), followed by heart failure. A possible treatment for heart failure involves restoring cardiac function and replacing damaged tissue with healthy, regenerated CMs. Significant strides in stem cell biology during the last ten years have transformed the in vitro study of human illness and enhanced our knowledge of the molecular pathways underlying human disease, regenerative medicine, and drug development. We seek to examine iPSC advancements in disease modeling, drug discovery, iPSC-Based cell treatments, and purification methods in this article.

Dental pulp stem cells regenerate neural tissue in degenerative disorders and stroke rehabilitation: A scope systematic review

Background

Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSCs) possess a remarkable ability for tissue differentiation, making them highly efficient in tissue regeneration and inflammation regulation. This systematic study proposes to find an answer to the question, "Do DPSCs have the ability to regenerate and rehabilitate nerve tissue?"

Methods

This systematic review was conducted based on Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, and the principle of non-bias was respected. All the articles from 2014 to 2024 were extracted from the Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases. This study extracted the antigens and pro-inflammatory factors associated with DPSCs' involvement and how they affect the CNS's neural tissue regeneration.

Results

Two persons of researchers searched the database. After screening the full texts, they included 11 articles in their study. DPSCs control the following antigens: CD73, CD34, CD90, CD105, CD14, CD45, CD19Oct-4, CD73, CD31, CD34CD29CD44. Even though hematopoietic markers did not change much, OCT-4 and CD-73 were increased by DPSCs. DPSC-derived exosomes suppressed the expression of IL-6, IL-1β, TNF-α, and TGF, key mediators of nerve tissue inflammation. Additionally, DPSCs show high Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) expression in mice brain tissue cultures. DPSCs reduce Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH), a condition in which blood collects in the subarachnoid space and causes ischemia.

Discussion

DPSCs showed the ability to regenerate nerve tissue and brain ganglia, stimulating angiogenesis by expressing cell markers and controlling growth factors in mice, and high therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders. The present study invites further research in neurological disorders, specifically strokes, to prescribe these stem cells to the human population.

Stem cell and exosome therapies for regenerating damaged myocardium in heart failure

Finding novel treatments for cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is a hot topic in medicine; cell-based therapies have reported promising news for controlling dangerous complications of heart disease such as myocardial infarction (MI) and heart failure (HF). Various progenitor/stem cells were tested in various in-vivo, in-vitro, and clinical studies for regeneration or repairing the injured tissue in the myocardial to accelerate the healing. Fetal, adult, embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have revealed the proper potency for cardiac tissue repair. As an essential communicator among cells, exosomes with specific contacts (proteins, lncRNAs, and miRNAs) greatly promote cardiac rehabilitation. Interestingly, stem cell-derived exosomes have more efficiency than stem cell transplantation. Therefore, stem cells induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), cardiac stem cells (CDC), and skeletal myoblasts) and their-derived exosomes will probably be considered an alternative therapy for CVDs remedy. In addition, stem cell-derived exosomes have been used in the diagnosis/prognosis of heart diseases. In this review, we explained the advances of stem cells/exosome-based treatment, their beneficial effects, and underlying mechanisms, which will present new insights in the clinical field in the future.

Stem cells-derived exosomes as cardiac regenerative agents

Heart failure is a root cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Due to the limited regenerative capacity of the heart following myocardial injury, stem cell-based therapies have been considered a hopeful approach for improving cardiac regeneration. In recent years, different kinds of cell products have been investigated regarding their potential to treat patients with heart failure. Despite special attention to cell therapy and its products, therapeutic efficacy has been disappointing, and clinical application is not affordable. In the past few years, a subset of small extracellular vehicles (EVs), commonly known as "exosomes," was reported to grant regenerative and cardioprotective signals at a value similar to their donor cells. The conceptual advantage is that they may be ideally used without evoking a relevant recipient immune response or other adverse effects associated with viable cells. The evidence related to their beneficial effects in animal models of heart failure is rapidly growing. However, there is remarkable heterogeneity regarding source cells, isolation process, effective dosage, and delivery mode. This brief review will focus on the latest research and debates on regenerative potential and cardiac repair of exosomes from different sources, such as cardiac/non-cardiac stem, somatic cells, and progenitor cells. Overall, the current state of research on exosomes as an experimental therapy for heart diseases will be discussed.

Alternative pre-mRNA splicing in stem cell function and therapeutic potential: A critical review of current evidence

Alternative splicing is a crucial regulator in stem cell biology, intricately influencing the functions of various biological macromolecules, particularly pre-mRNAs and the resultant protein isoforms. This regulatory mechanism is vital in determining stem cell pluripotency, differentiation, and proliferation. Alternative splicing's role in allowing single genes to produce multiple protein isoforms facilitates the proteomic diversity that is essential for stem cells' functional complexity. This review delves into the critical impact of alternative splicing on cellular functions, focusing on its interaction with key macromolecules and how this affects cellular behavior. We critically examine how alternative splicing modulates the function and stability of pre-mRNAs, leading to diverse protein expressions that govern stem cell characteristics, including pluripotency, self-renewal, survival, proliferation, differentiation, aging, migration, somatic reprogramming, and genomic stability. Furthermore, the review discusses the therapeutic potential of targeting alternative splicing-related pathways in disease treatment, particularly focusing on the modulation of RNA and protein interactions. We address the challenges and future prospects in this field, underscoring the need for further exploration to unravel the complex interplay between alternative splicing, RNA, proteins, and stem cell behaviors, which is crucial for advancing our understanding and therapeutic approaches in regenerative medicine and disease treatment.

The Effect of Parent Cell Type on Small Extracellular Vesicle-Derived Vehicle Functionality

Cell therapies involving c-kit+ progenitor cells (CPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been actively studied for cardiac repair. The benefits of such therapies have more recently been attributed to the release of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from the parent cells. These sEVs are 30-180 nm vesicles containing protein/nucleic acid cargo encapsulated within an amphiphilic bilayer membrane. Despite their pro-reparative effects, sEV composition and cargo loading is highly variable, making it challenging to develop robust therapies with sEVs. Synthetic alternatives have been developed to allow cargo modulation, including prior work from the laboratory, to design sEV-like vehicles (ELVs). ELVs are synthesized from the sEV membrane but allow controlled cargo loading. It is previously shown that loading pro-angiogenic miR-126 into CPC-derived ELVs significantly increases endothelial cell angiogenesis compared to CPC-sEVs alone. Here, they expand on this work to design MSC-derived ELVs  and study the role of the parent cell type on ELV composition and function. It is found that ELV origin does affect the ELV potency and that ELV membrane composition can affect outcomes. This study showcases the versatility of ELVs to be synthesized from different parent cells and highlights the importance of selecting ELV source cells based on the desired functional outcomes.

Bradykinin-pretreated Human cardiac-specific c-kit+ Cells Enhance Exosomal miR-3059-5p and Promote Angiogenesis Against Hindlimb Ischemia in mice

BACKGROUND

Protection of cardiac function following myocardial infarction was largely enhanced by bradykinin-pretreated cardiac-specific c-kit+ (BK-c-kit+) cells, even without significant engraftment, indicating that paracrine actions of BK-c-kit+ cells play a pivotal role in angiogenesis. Nevertheless, the active components of the paracrine actions of BK-c-kit+ cells and the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimed to define the active components of exosomes from BK-c-kit+ cells and elucidate their underlying protective mechanisms.

METHODS

Matrigel tube formation assay, cell cycle, and mobility in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and hindlimb ischemia (HLI) in mice were applied to determine the angiogenic effect of condition medium (CM) and exosomes. Proteome profiler, microRNA sponge, Due-luciferase assay, microRNA-sequencing, qRT-PCR, and Western blot were used to determine the underlying mechanism of the angiogenic effect of exosomes from BK-c-kit+.

RESULTS

As a result, BK-c-kit+ CM and exosomes promoted tube formation in HUVECs and the repair of HLI in mice. Angiogenesis-related proteomic profiling and microRNA sequencing revealed highly enriched miR-3059-5p as a key angiogenic component of BK-c-kit+ exosomes. Meanwhile, loss- and gain-of-function experiments revealed that the promotion of angiogenesis by miR-3059-5p was mainly through suppression of TNFSF15-inhibited effects on vascular tube formation, cell proliferation and cell migration. Moreover, enhanced angiogenesis of miR-3059-5p-inhibited TNFSF15 has been associated with Akt/Erk1/2/Smad2/3-modulated signaling pathway.

CONCLUSION

Our results demonstrated a novel finding that BK-c-kit+ cells enrich exosomal miR-3059-5p to suppress TNFSF15 and promote angiogenesis against hindlimb ischemia in mice.

Opportunities and challenges in stem cell therapy in cardiovascular diseases: Position standing in 2022

This study intends to evaluate the development, importance, pre-clinical and clinical study evaluation of stem cell therapy for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is one of the main causes of fatality in the whole world. Though there are great progressions in the pharmacological and other interventional treatment options, heart diseases remain a common disorder that causes long-term warnings. Recent accession promotes the symptoms and slows down the adverse effects regarding cardiac remodelling. But they cannot locate the problems of immutable loss of cardiac tissues. In this case, stem cell treatment holds a promising challenge. Stem cells are the cells that are capable of differentiating into many cells according to their needs. So, it is assumed that these cells can distinguish into many cells and if these cells can be individualized into cardiac cells then they can be used to replace the damaged tissues of the heart. There is some abridgment in this therapy, none the less stem cell therapy remains a hopeful destination in the treatment of heart disease.

Pretreatment of cardiac progenitor cells with bradykinin attenuates H2O2-induced cell apoptosis and improves cardiac function in rats by regulating autophagy

Background

Previous studies have demonstrated that human cardiac c-Kit⁺ progenitor cells (hCPCs) can effectively improve ischemic heart disease. However, the major challenge in applying hCPCs to clinical therapy is the low survival rate of graft hCPCs in the host heart, which limited the benefit of transplanted hCPCs. Bradykinin (BK) is a principal active agent of the tissue kinin-kallikrein system. Our previous studies have highlighted that BK mediated the growth and migration of CPCs by regulating Ca²⁺ influx. However, the protective effect of BK on CPCs, improvement in the survival rate of BK-pretreated hCPCs in the infarcted heart, and the related mechanism remain elusive.

Methods

HCPCs were treated with H₂O₂ to induce cell apoptosis and autophagy, and different concentration of BK was applied to rescue the H₂O₂-induced injury detected by MTT assay, TUNEL staining, flow cytometry, western blotting, and mitoSOX assays. The role of autophagy in the anti-apoptotic effect of BK was chemically activated or inhibited using the autophagy inducer, rapamycin, or the inhibitor, 3-methyladenine (3-MA). To explore the protective effect of BK on hCPCs, 3-MA or BK-pretreated hCPCs were transplanted into the myocardial infarcted rats. An echocardiogram was used to determine cardiac function, H&E and Masson staining were employed to assess pathological characteristics, HLA gene expression was quantified by qRT-PCR, and immunostaining was applied to examine neovascularization using confocal microscopy.

Results

The in vitro results showed that BK suppressed H₂O₂-induced hCPCs apoptosis and ROS production in a concentration-dependent manner by promoting pAkt and Bcl-2 expression and reducing cleaved caspase 3 and Bax expression. Moreover, BK restrained the H₂O₂-induced cell autophagy by decreasing LC3II/I, Beclin1, and ATG5 expression and increasing P62 expression. In the in vivo experiment, the transplanted BK- or 3-MA-treated hCPCs were found to be more effectively improved cardiac function by decreasing cardiomyocyte apoptosis, inflammatory infiltration, and myocardial fibrosis, and promoting neovascularization in the infarcted heart, compared to untreated-hCPCs or c-kit^- cardiomyocytes (CPC^- cells).

Conclusions

Our present study established a new method to rescue transplanted hCPCs in the infarcted cardiac area via regulating cell apoptosis and autophagy of hCPCs by pretreatment with BK, providing a new therapeutic option for heart failure.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02503-6.

Cardiac Progenitor Cells

Cardiovascular diseases top the list of fatal illnesses worldwide. Cardiac tissues is known to be one of te least proliferative in the human body, with very limited regenraive capacity. Stem cell therapy has shown great potential for treatment of cardiovascular diseases in the experimental setting, but success in human trials has been limited. Applications of stem cell therapy for cardiovascular regeneration necessitate understamding of the complex and unique structure of the heart unit, and the embryologic development of the heart muscles and vessels. This chapter aims to provide an insight into cardiac progenitor cells and their potential applications in regenerative medicine. It also provides an overview of the embryological development of cardiac tissue, and the major findings on the development of cardiac stem cells, their characterization, and differentiation, and their regenerative potential. It concludes with clinical applications in treating cardiac disease using different approaches, and concludes with areas for future research.

Treatment of Metastatic Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors (GIST): A Focus on Older Patients

Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) originating in the Cajal cells are the most common mesenchymal neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract. The median age of patients with this diagnosis is 65 years, and over 20% of cases affect people over the age of 70 years. The effectiveness and tolerability of systemic treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors in older patients with GIST seem to be similar to that in younger patients, but some studies have shown that treatment of older patients is suboptimal. Disability, frailty, comorbidities, and concomitant medications may influence treatment decisions, and toxicities also more often lead to treatment discontinuation. The known safety profile and oral administration route of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors used in GIST may allow maximization of treatment and the best efficacy, especially in older patients. This review summarizes the efficacy data for the systemic treatment of GIST, including data for older patients and from real-world experiences, if available and significant. The reported safety data and general rules for toxicity management, including appropriate patient selection and the need for careful monitoring during treatment, are also discussed.