Acellular Gelatinous Material of Human Umbilical Cord Enhances Wound Healing: A Candidate Remedy for Deficient Wound Healing

Safety and efficacy of eye drops from umbilical cord blood platelet lysate to treat resistant corneal ulcer

Background

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is a novel treatment of resistant corneal ulcers owing to the unique anti-inflammatory molecules and growth factors it contains. Platelet lysates are a potential future alternative. The aim of the present study was to assess the role of human UCB platelet lysate in treating resistant corneal ulcers.

Methods

This was prospective, non-comparative, interventional case series involving 40 eyes of patients aged 6 - 65 years with persistent corneal ulcers from the Mansoura Ophthalmic Center and Mansoura Research Center for Cord Stem Cells. Patients were classified according to the cause of persistent corneal ulcer into four groups: group I, including 14 eyes with dry eye disease; group II, including six eyes post-keratoplasty; group III, including four eyes with corneal chemical burn; and group IV, including 16 eyes with persistent corneal ulcer from other causes. All participants underwent detailed ophthalmic examinations, and baseline and final best-corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) were recorded. Eye drops were prepared from UCB platelet lysate and administered to all patients along with detailed meticulous instructions for the method of use. Clinical progression of wound healing was continuously observed. The treatment response was identified as complete healing, improvement, or treatment failure.

Results

BCDVA improved significantly in all studied groups (all P < 0.05). In group I, complete healing, improvement, and treatment failure occurred in 71%, 29%, and 0% of cases. In group II, complete healing, improvement, and treatment failure occurred in 67%, 33%, and 0% of cases. In group III, complete healing, improvement, and treatment failure occurred in 50%, 50%, and 0% of cases. In group IV, complete healing, improvement, and treatment failure occurred in 63%, 12%, and 25% of cases. No adverse events associated with the treatment were observed or subjectively self-reports in the study period.

Conclusions

Eye drops from UCB platelet lysate were a novel therapeutic blood component with unique growth factors and anti-inflammatory compounds that could be an effective and safe treatment option in managing persistent corneal ulcers of different causes. A future randomized clinical trial with a large sample size and a longer follow-up is required to confirm these preliminary outcomes.

Research progress of exosomes in pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular diseases

Exosomes are natural extracellular vesicles with a diameter of 30-150 nm, which exist in biological fluids and contain biomolecules related to the parent cell, such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, etc. It has a wide range of biological functions, and participates in the regulation of important physiological and pathological activities of the body. It can be used as a biomarker for early diagnosis of ocular diseases, a potential therapeutic target, a targeted drug carrier, and has a high potential for clinical application. In this paper, we summarized the genesis mechanism, biological functions, research and application progress of exosomes, focused on the engineering strategy of exosomes, and summarized the advantages and disadvantages of common engineering exosome preparation methods. Systematically combed the role of exosomes in corneal diseases, glaucoma, and retinal diseases, to provide a reference for further understanding of the role of exosomes in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of ocular diseases. Finally, we further summarized the opportunities and challenges of exosomes for precision medicine. The extension of exosome research to the field of ophthalmology will help advance current diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Tiny exosomes have huge potential.

Extracellular vesicles: Emerging frontiers in wound healing

Extracellular vesicles are membranous particles, ranging from 30 nm to 10 µm in diameter, which are released by nearly all cell types to aid in intercellular communication. These complex vesicles carry a multitude of signaling moieties from their cell of origin, such as proteins, lipids, cell surface receptors, enzymes, cytokines, metabolites, and nucleic acids. A growing body of evidence suggests that in addition to delivering cargos into target cells to facilitate intercellular communication, extracellular vesicles may also play roles in such processes as cell differentiation and proliferation, angiogenesis, stress response, and immune signaling. As these vesicles have natural biocompatibility, stability in circulation, low toxicity, and low immunogenicity, and serve as efficient carriers of molecular cargos, these nanoparticles are ideal therapeutic candidates for regenerative medicine. Exploring and identifying the homeostatic functions of extracellular vesicles may facilitate the development of new regenerative therapies. In this review, we summarize the wound healing process, difficulties in stem cell therapies for regenerative medicine, and the applications of mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles in improving and accelerating the wound healing process.

Decellularized Tissues for Wound Healing: Towards Closing the Gap Between Scaffold Design and Effective Extracellular Matrix Remodeling

The absence or damage of a tissue is the main cause of most acute or chronic diseases and are one of the appealing challenges that novel therapeutic alternatives have, in order to recover lost functions through tissue regeneration. Chronic cutaneous lesions are the most frequent cause of wounds, being a massive area of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to have efforts to develop new bioactive medical products that not only allow an appropriate and rapid healing, but also avoid severe complications such as bacterial infections. In tissue repair and regeneration processes, there are several overlapping stages that involve the synergy of cells, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and biomolecules, which coordinate processes of ECM remodeling as well as cell proliferation and differentiation. Although these three components play a crucial role in the wound healing process, the ECM has the function of acting as a biological platform to permit the correct interaction between them. In particular, ECM is a mixture of crosslinked proteins that contain bioactive domains that cells recognize in order to promote migration, proliferation and differentiation. Currently, tissue engineering has employed several synthetic polymers to design bioactive scaffolds to mimic the native ECM, by combining biopolymers with growth factors including collagen and fibrinogen. Among these, decellularized tissues have been proposed as an alternative for reconstructing cutaneous lesions since they maintain the complex protein conformation, providing the required functional domains for cell differentiation. In this review, we present an in-depth discussion of different natural matrixes recently employed for designing novel therapeutic alternatives for treating cutaneous injuries, and overview some future perspectives in this area.

Characterization of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from Wharton’s jelly of the human umbilical cord

Background

Isolation of post-partum umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly stem cells has gained attention as an alternative source of the bone marrow. Because easy isolation, lack of ethical concerns, and the presence of both embryonic and adult stem cells have made them a valuable source for use in therapeutic applications and regenerative medicine. The study utilized a modified protocol using in-house human pooled cord blood serum for isolation and expansion of the mesenchymal stem cells obtained from the human umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly. Cell proliferation and population doubling time and tri-lineage differentiation were assessed, and the expressions of mesenchymal cell surface markers CD44, CD90, CD105, and CD34 were assessed by flow cytometry and RT-PCR. The genetic stability of the isolated cells was assessed by chromosomal karyotype.

Results

The isolated cells displayed fibroblastic-like morphology and tri-lineage differentiation into adipocyte, chondrocyte, and osteocyte. The isolated cells maintained the proliferative competence with a doubling time ranged from 38 to 42h and corresponded well with the standard positive and negative molecular markers (CD44+, CD90+, CD 105+, and CD34−). Cell senescence occurred at the later passage of the cells (P15) affecting, about 25% of the population. Metaphases spread of the cells showed normal diploid karyotypes, with typical chromosomal plates indicating genetic stability of the isolated cells.

Conclusion

The primary cultures exhibited success in isolating the umbilical cord Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells, which maintained their tri-lineage differentiation potential, phenotypes and karyotype characteristics on further passage and expansion.

OMICS Approaches Evaluating Keloid and Hypertrophic Scars

Abnormal scar formation during wound healing can result in keloid and hypertrophic scars, which is a major global health challenge. Such abnormal scars can cause significant physiological pain and psychological distress and become a financial burden. Due to the biological complexity of scar formation, the pathogenesis of such scars and how to prevent them from forming remains elusive. In this review paper, we delve into the world of "omics" approaches to study abnormal scars and provide examples of genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, epigenomics, and metabolomics. The benefits of "omics" approaches are that they allow for high-throughput studies and the analysis of 100s to 1000s of genes and proteins with the accumulation of large quantities of data. Currently in the field, there is a lack of "omics" review articles describing pathological scars. In this review, we summarize genome-wide linkage analysis, genome-wide association studies, and microarray data to name a few omics technologies. Such data can provide novel insights into different molecular pathways and identify novel factors which may not be captured through small-scale laboratory techniques.

Perinatal derivatives: How to best characterize their multimodal functions in vitro. Part C: Inflammation, angiogenesis, and wound healing

Perinatal derivatives (PnD) are birth-associated tissues, such as placenta, umbilical cord, amniotic and chorionic membrane, and thereof-derived cells as well as secretomes. PnD play an increasing therapeutic role with beneficial effects on the treatment of various diseases. The aim of this review is to elucidate the modes of action of non-hematopoietic PnD on inflammation, angiogenesis and wound healing. We describe the source and type of PnD with a special focus on their effects on inflammation and immune response, on vascular function as well as on cutaneous and oral wound healing, which is a complex process that comprises hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation (including epithelialization, angiogenesis), and remodeling. We further evaluate the different in vitro assays currently used for assessing selected functional and therapeutic PnD properties. This review is a joint effort from the COST SPRINT Action (CA17116) with the intention to promote PnD into the clinics. It is part of a quadrinomial series on functional assays for validation of PnD, spanning biological functions, such as immunomodulation, anti-microbial/anti-cancer activities, anti-inflammation, wound healing, angiogenesis, and regeneration.

Systematic Review of the Application of Perinatal Derivatives in Animal Models on Cutaneous Wound Healing

Knowledge of the beneficial effects of perinatal derivatives (PnD) in wound healing goes back to the early 1900s when the human fetal amniotic membrane served as a biological dressing to treat burns and skin ulcerations. Since the twenty-first century, isolated cells from perinatal tissues and their secretomes have gained increasing scientific interest, as they can be obtained non-invasively, have anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and anti-fibrotic characteristics, and are immunologically tolerated in vivo. Many studies that apply PnD in pre-clinical cutaneous wound healing models show large variations in the choice of the animal species (e.g., large animals, rodents), the choice of diabetic or non-diabetic animals, the type of injury (full-thickness wounds, burns, radiation-induced wounds, skin flaps), the source and type of PnD (placenta, umbilical cord, fetal membranes, cells, secretomes, tissue extracts), the method of administration (topical application, intradermal/subcutaneous injection, intravenous or intraperitoneal injection, subcutaneous implantation), and the type of delivery systems (e.g., hydrogels, synthetic or natural biomaterials as carriers for transplanted cells, extracts or secretomes). This review provides a comprehensive and integrative overview of the application of PnD in wound healing to assess its efficacy in preclinical animal models. We highlight the advantages and limitations of the most commonly used animal models and evaluate the impact of the type of PnD, the route of administration, and the dose of cells/secretome application in correlation with the wound healing outcome. This review is a collaborative effort from the COST SPRINT Action (CA17116), which broadly aims at approaching consensus for different aspects of PnD research, such as providing inputs for future standards for the preclinical application of PnD in wound healing.

Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes: Applications in Regenerative Medicine

Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicles, produced within multivesicular bodies, that are then released into the extracellular space through a merging of the multivesicular body with the plasma membrane. These vesicles are secreted by almost all cell types to aid in a vast array of cellular functions, including intercellular communication, cell differentiation and proliferation, angiogenesis, stress response, and immune signaling. This ability to contribute to several distinct processes is due to the complexity of exosomes, as they carry a multitude of signaling moieties, including proteins, lipids, cell surface receptors, enzymes, cytokines, transcription factors, and nucleic acids. The favorable biological properties of exosomes including biocompatibility, stability, low toxicity, and proficient exchange of molecular cargos make exosomes prime candidates for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Exploring the functions and molecular payloads of exosomes can facilitate tissue regeneration therapies and provide mechanistic insight into paracrine modulation of cellular activities. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of exosome biogenesis, composition, and isolation methods. We also discuss emerging healing properties of exosomes and exosomal cargos, such as microRNAs, in brain injuries, cardiovascular disease, and COVID-19 amongst others. Overall, this review highlights the burgeoning roles and potential applications of exosomes in regenerative medicine.

Use of Acellular Umbilical Cord-Derived Tissues in Corneal and Ocular Surface Diseases

Blood derived products have become a valuable source of tissue for the treatment of ocular surface diseases that are refractory to conventional treatments. These can be obtained from autologous or allogeneic sources (patient’s own blood or from healthy adult donors/umbilical cord blood, respectively). Allogeneic cord blood demonstrates practical advantages over alternatives and these advantages will be discussed herein. Umbilical cord blood (UCB) can be divided, generally speaking, into two distinct products: first, mononuclear cells, which can be used in regenerative ophthalmology, and second, the plasma/serum (an acellular fraction), which may be used in the form of eyedrops administered directly to the damaged ocular surface. The rationale for using umbilical cord serum (UCS) to treat ocular surface diseases such as severe dry eye syndrome (DES), persistent epithelial defects (PED), recurrent epithelial erosions, ocular chemical burns, graft versus host disease (GVHD), among others, is the considerably high concentration of growth factors and cytokines, mimicking the natural healing properties of human tears. Allogeneic serum also offers the opportunity for therapeutic treatment to patients who, due to poor heath, cannot provide autologous serum. The mechanism of action involves the stimulation of endogenous cellular proliferation, differentiation and maturation, which is highly efficient in promoting and enhancing corneal epithelial healing where other therapies have previously failed.

Acellular Wharton's Jelly, Potentials in T-Cell Subtypes Differentiation, Activation and Proliferation

Purpose: Because of different potentials of T-cell subtypes in T-cell based cellular immunotherapy approaches such as CAR-T cell therapies; Regarding the high cost of the serum-free specific culture media, having distinct control on T-cell subset activation, expansion and differentiation seem crucial in T-cell expansion step of cell preparation methods. By the way, there was no clear data about the effect of acellular Wharton’s Jelly (AWJ) on T-cells expansion, activation or differentiation status. So, we have launched to study the effect of AWJ on T-cell’s immunobiological properties.

Methods: CD3+ T-cells were isolated from healthy bone marrow allogeneic donors, sorted by FACS method and cultured on either routine phyto-hemagglutinin complemented and different concentrations of AWJ, lag phase and doubling time of the cells calculated from cell growth curve. After 3, 7 and 14-days T-cell subtypes cell markers and cell activity related genes expression rate have been evaluated by flow cytometry and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods respectively.

Results: AWJ in a 1:1 ratio compared with contemporary lymphocyte culture media showed significant activating and proliferative capacities. The introduced condition has not affected the frequency of CD4+ subpopulation of T-cells, but significantly increased even CD8+ cells and immune-activator genes in T-cells. The regulatory and memory subsets of T-cells in this study have not affected significantly.

Conclusion: the study results revealed that AWJ can be utilized as a supportive substance to increase the memory properties of the T-cells, gives control to design a selective medium for expanding and differentiating memory T-cells, relatively.

Use of Human Umbilical Cord and Its Byproducts in Tissue Regeneration

The fresh or cryopreserved human umbilical cord (HUC) and its byproducts, such as cells and extracts, have different uses in tissue regeneration. Defining what HUC byproduct is more effective in a particular application is a challenge. Furthermore, the methods of isolation, culture and preservation, may affect cell viability and regenerative properties. In this article, we review the HUC and its byproducts' applications in research and clinical practice. We present our results of successful use of HUC as a patch to treat gastroschisis and its potential to be applied in other conditions. Our in vitro results show an increase in proliferation and migration of human fibroblasts by using an acellular HUC extract. Our goal is to promote standardization of procedures and point out that applications of HUC and its byproducts, as well as the resulting advances in regenerative medicine, will depend on rigorous quality control and on more research in this area.

Promotion of dermal regeneration using pullulan/gelatin porous skin substitute

Tissue-engineered dermal substitutes represent a promising approach to improve wound healing and provide more sufficient regeneration, compared with current clinical standards on care of large wounds, early excision, and grafting of autografts. However, inadequate regenerative capacity, impaired regeneration/degradation profile, and high cost of current commercial tissue-engineered dermal regeneration templates hinder their utilization, and the development of an efficient and cost-effective tissue-engineered dermal substitute remains a challenge. Inspired from our previously reported data on a pullulan/gelatin scaffold, here we present a new generation of a porous pullulan/gelatin scaffold (PG2) served as a dermal substitute with enhanced chemical and structural characteristics. PG2 shows excellent biocompatibility (viability, migration, and proliferation), assessed by in vitro incorporation of human dermal fibroblasts in comparison with the Integra® dermal regeneration template (Control). When applied on a mouse full-thickness excisional wound, PG2 shows rapid scaffold degradation, more granulation tissue, more collagen deposition, and more cellularity in comparison with Control at 20 days post surgery. The faster degradation is likely due to the enhanced recruitment of inflammatory macrophages to the scaffold from the wound bed, and that leads to earlier maturation of granulation tissue with less myofibroblastic cells. Collectively, our data reveal PG2's characteristics as an applicable dermal substitute with excellent dermal regeneration, which may attenuate scar formation.

Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells and exosomes: bioactive ways of tissue injury repair

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be recruited to damaged tissues directly for regeneration. Exosomes, acting as an important ingredient of MSCs-involved intercellular communication through paracrine actions, also play significant roles in tissue damage repair and have a prospect of potential clinical application. It is generally recognized that MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-exosomes) enhance tissue regeneration and repair through reducing inflammatory responses, promoting proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and facilitating angiogenesis. This review summarizes the positive effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) and hucMSC-derived exosomes (hucMSC-exosomes) on tissue damage and the specific mechanisms of repair action.

A silk fibroin/decellularized extract of Wharton's jelly hydrogel intended for cartilage tissue engineering

A hybrid hydrogel was obtained from decellularized extract from Wharton's jelly (DEWJ) and silk fibroin (SF) and characterized for cartilage tissue engineering. Wharton's jelly was used due to its similarity with articular cartilage in extracellular matrix composition. Also, silk fibroin has good mechanical properties which make this construct appropriate for cartilage repair. Decellularization of Wharton's jelly was verified by DAPI staining, DNA quantification, and PCR analysis. Then, the biochemical composition of DEWJ was determined by ELISA kits for total proteins, collagens, sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAG), and transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1). After fabricating pure SF and SF/DEWJ hybrid hydrogels, their physical and mechanical properties were characterized by FESEM, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and rheological assays (amplitude and frequency sweeps). Furthermore, cell viability and proliferation were assessed by MTT assay. The results have shown that DEWJ in hybrid hydrogels enhances mechanical properties of the construct relative to pure SF hydrogels. Also, this extract at its 40% concentration in culture media and 20% or 40% concentrations in SF/DEWJ hybrid hydrogels significantly increases population of the cells compared to control and pure SF hydrogel after 7 days. In conclusion, this study proposes the potential of SF/DEWJ hybrid hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering applications.

Stem cells derived from burned skin - The future of burn care

BACKGROUND

Thermal injuries affect millions of adults and children worldwide and are associated with high morbidity and mortality. The key determinant for the survival of burns is rapid wound healing. Large wounds exceed intrinsic wound-healing capacities, and the currently available coverage materials are insufficient due to lack of cellularity, availability or immunological rejection.

METHODS

Using the surgically debrided tissue, we isolated viable cells from burned skin. The isolated cells cultured in tissue culture dishes and characterized.

FINDINGS

We report here that debrided burned skin, which is routinely excised from patients and otherwise considered medical waste and unconsciously discarded, contains viable, undamaged cells which show characteristics of mesenchymal skin stem cells. Those cells can be extracted, characterized, expanded, and incorporated into created epidermal-dermal substitutes to promote wound healing in immune-compromised mice and Yorkshire pigs without adverse side effects.

INTERPRETATION

These findings are of paramount importance and provide an ideal cell source for autologous skin regeneration. Furthermore, this study highlights that skin contains progenitor cells resistant to thermal stress. FUND: Canadian Institutes of Health Research # 123336. CFI Leader's Opportunity Fund: Project # 25407 National Institutes of Health 2R01GM087285-05A1. EMHSeed: Fund: 500463, A generous donation from Toronto Hydro. Integra© Life Science Company provided the meshed bilayer Integra© for porcine experiments.

Exosomes from acellular Wharton's jelly of the human umbilical cord promotes skin wound healing

BACKGROUND

Compromised wound healing has become a global public health challenge which presents a significant psychological, financial, and emotional burden on patients and physicians. We recently reported that acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly of the human umbilical cord enhances skin wound healing in vitro and in vivo in a murine model; however, the key player in the jelly which enhances wound healing is still unknown.

METHODS

We performed mass spectrometry on acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly to elucidate the chemical structures of the molecules. Using an ultracentrifugation protocol, we isolated exosomes and treated fibroblasts with these exosomes to assess their proliferation and migration. Mice were subjected to a full-thickness skin biopsy experiment and treated with either control vehicle or vehicle containing exosomes. Isolated exosomes were subjected to further mass spectrometry analysis to determine their cargo.

RESULTS

Subjecting the acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly to proteomics approaches, we detected a large amount of proteins that are characteristic of exosomes. Here, we show that the exosomes isolated from the acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly enhance cell viability and cell migration in vitro and enhance skin wound healing in the punch biopsy wound model in mice. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that exosomes of Wharton's jelly umbilical cord contain a large amount of alpha-2-macroglobulin, a protein which mimics the effect of acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly exosomes on wound healing.

CONCLUSIONS

Exosomes are being enriched in the native niche of the umbilical cord and can enhance wound healing in vivo through their cargo. Exosomes from the acellular gelatinous Wharton's jelly and the cargo protein alpha-2-macroglobulin have tremendous potential as a noncellular, off-the-shelf therapeutic modality for wound healing.

Biomaterials for Skin Substitutes

Patients with extensive burns rely on the use of tissue engineered skin due to a lack of sufficient donor tissue, but it is a challenge to identify reliable and economical scaffold materials and donor cell sources for the generation of a functional skin substitute. The current review attempts to evaluate the performance of the wide range of biomaterials available for generating skin substitutes, including both natural biopolymers and synthetic polymers, in terms of tissue response and potential for use in the operating room. Natural biopolymers display an improved cell response, while synthetic polymers provide better control over chemical composition and mechanical properties. It is suggested that not one material meets all the requirements for a skin substitute. Rather, a composite scaffold fabricated from both natural and synthetic biomaterials may allow for the generation of skin substitutes that meet all clinical requirements including a tailored wound size and type, the degree of burn, the patient age, and the available preparation technique. This review aims to be a valuable directory for researchers in the field to find the optimal material or combination of materials based on their specific application.

Scar management in burn injuries using drug delivery and molecular signaling: Current treatments and future directions

In recent decades, there have been tremendous improvements in burn care that have allowed patients to survive severe burn injuries that were once fatal. However, a major limitation of burn care currently is the development of hypertrophic scars in approximately 70% of patients. This significantly decreases the quality of life for patients due to the physical and psychosocial symptoms associated with scarring. Current approaches to manage scarring include surgical techniques and non-surgical methods such as laser therapy, steroid injections, and compression therapy. These treatments are limited in their effectiveness and regularly fail to manage symptoms. As a result, the development of novel treatments that aim to improve outcomes and quality of life is imperative. Drug delivery that targets the molecular cascades of wound healing to attenuate or prevent hypertrophic scarring is a promising approach that has therapeutic potential. In this review, we discuss current treatments for scar management after burn injury, and how drug delivery targeting molecular signaling can lead to new therapeutic strategies.

Protective effects of mesenchymal stem cell cond tional medium against inflammatory injury on human gingival fibroblast

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) alleviate oxidative stress in kidney, lung and heart by secreting bioactive factors. Human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs) are important for repairing periodontal tissues. This study observed protective effects of MSCs conditional medium (MSCCM) on HGFs against inflammatory injury, to investigate anti-inflammatory function and mechanism of MSCCM on HGFs. Primary cultured HGFs were identified for sources by immunohistochemistry (IHC)-SP assay. In vitro cultured MSCs were extracted for MSCCM, which was used to pre-treat HGFs with inflammatory induction by 10 μg/L IL-6 or TNF-α for 4 h. ELISA quantified transforming growth factor (TGF)-β level in the supernatant, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) plus malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were measured by colorimetry. RT-PCR measured keratocyte growth factor (KGF) mRNA expression, and flow cytometry or Western blot measured apoptosis or Caspase-3 expression in HGFs, respectively. Compared to control group, MSCCM treatment group showed no significant change of SOD, MDA, TGF-β level, cell apoptosis, KGF mRNA or Caspase-3 expression (P>0.05). Inflammation treatment elevated all those indexes but decreased SOD (P<0.05). Compared to model group, MSCCM treatment further decreased these factors but increased SOD level (P<0.05). No significant difference was found between IL-6 and TNF-α treated cells. MSCCM can partially inhibit IL-6 induced inflammatory injury of HGFs via suppressing Caspase-3 and KGF expression.