JING LI^1,2, WANWAN FAN⁴, LILI HAO¹, YONGSHENG LI⁵, GUOCHENG YU¹, WEI SUN⁶, XIANQIONG LUO^2,*, JINGXIANG ZHONG^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.11, pp. 2485-2494, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.044177

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hucMSC)-derived exosomes (hucMSC-Exos) in inhibiting hypoxia-induced cell hyper proliferation and overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in immature human fetal retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hfRMECs). Methods: Exosomes were isolated from hucMSCs using cryogenic ultracentrifugation and characterized through various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, bicinchoninic acid assays, and western blotting. The hfRMECs were identified using von Willebrand factor (vWF) co-staining and divided into four groups: a control group cultured under normoxic condition, a hypoxic model group, a hypoxic group treated with… More > Graphic Abstract

CARL RANDALL HARREL¹, VALENTIN DJONOV², ANA VOLAREVIC³, DRAGICA PAVLOVIC⁴, VLADISLAV VOLAREVIC^4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.8, pp. 1757-1769, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028567

Abstract Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-Exos) are nano-sized extracellular vesicles enriched with bioactive molecules, such as microRNAs, enzymes, cytokines, chemokines, immunomodulatory, trophic, and growth factors. These molecules regulate the survival, phenotype, and function of malignant and tumor-infiltrated immune cells. Due to their nano-size and bilayer lipid envelope, MSC-Exos can easily bypass biological barriers and may serve as drug carriers to deliver chemotherapeutics directly into the tumor cells. Here, we summarize current knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms responsible for MSC-Exos-dependent modulation of tumor progression and discuss insights regarding the therapeutic potential of MSC-Exos in the treatment of malignant diseases. More > Graphic Abstract

WENQI CHEN^1,#, XIAOYANG CHU^2,#, YANG ZENG^3,#, YOUSHENG YAN⁴, YIPENG WANG⁴, DONGLAN SUN¹, DONGLIANG ZHANG⁵, JING ZHANG^1,*, KAI YANG^4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.7, pp. 1561-1569, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.028851

Abstract Background: Receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (ROR2) has a vital role in osteogenesis. However, the mechanism underlying the regulation of ROR2 in osteogenic differentiation is still poorly comprehended. A previous study by our research group showed that a novel compound heterozygous ROR2 variation accounted for the autosomal recessive Robinow syndrome (ARRS). This study attempted to explore the impact of the ROR2: c.904C>T variant specifically on the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. Methods: Coimmunoprecipitation (CoIP)-western blotting was carried out to identify the interaction between ROR2 and Wnt5a. Double-immunofluorescence staining was used for determining the expressions and co-localization of ROR2 and Wnt5a… More > Graphic Abstract

XIN TIAN, XIANGLING HE^*, SHUQIN QIAN, RUNYING ZOU, KEKE CHEN, CHENGGUANG ZHU, ZEXI YIN

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.5, pp. 1085-1093, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.027090

Abstract Background: The immunomodulatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their exosomes have been receiving increasing attention. This study investigated the immunoregulatory effects of human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) and their exosomes on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Methods: The hAMSCs used in the experiment were identified by light microscopy and flow cytometry, and the differentiation ability of the cells was determined by Oil Red O and Alizarin Red staining. The expressions of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), and interleukin (IL)-6 were detected by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction… More >

MOHADESEH NEMATI¹, YOUSEF RASMI¹, JAFAR REZAIE^2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.3, pp. 455-464, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025603

Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death globally. Resistance to therapy is a challenge for CRC treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have become one of the furthermost effective approaches for tumor treatment due to their specific feature; however, their therapeutic function is controversial. Recently, extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from MSCs (MSCs-EVs) have attracted extensive research attention due to their promising role in CRC treatment. EVs are cell-derived vesicles that transfer different biomolecules between cells, contributing to intracellular communication. MSCs-EVs can suppress CRC by delivering therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Several studies… More >

XIAOXU ZHANG^1,2, LIN ZHANG¹, LIN DU³, HUIYAN SUN⁴, XIA ZHAO², YANG SUN¹, WEI WANG^2,*, LISHENG WANG^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.2, pp. 385-392, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.025203

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used in regenerative medicine and clinical therapy due to their capabilities of proliferation, differentiation, and immune regulation. However, during in vitro expansion, MSCs are prone to aging, which largely limits their application. Prostaglandin E-2 (PGE-2) is a key effector secreted by MSCs to exert immunomodulatory effects. By screening the compound library for PGE-2 secretion, the antioxidant trolox was verified as a stimulator of MSCs to secrete PGE-2. The effect of antioxidant trolox on biological characteristics of MSCS, including aging, proliferation, and gene expression, was examined. The results demonstrated that trolox can resist aging,… More >

NINGYU LI^1,2,#, XIAOFANG CHEN^2,#,§, SUXIA GENG², PEILONG LAI², LISI HUANG², MINMING LI², XIN HUANG², CHENGXIN DENG², YULIAN WANG², JIANYU WENG², XIN DU^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 133-141, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.022021

Abstract The pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) may be related to the abnormal expression of microRNAs (miRNAs), which could influence the differentiation capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) towards adipogenic and osteogenic lineages. In this study, exosomes from bone marrow plasma were successfully extracted and identified. Assessment of miR-103-3p expression in exosomes isolated from BM in 34 MDS patients and 10 controls revealed its 0.52-fold downregulation in patients with MDS compared with controls (NOR) and was downregulated 0.55-fold in MDS-MSCs compared with NOR-MSCs. Transfection of MDS-MSCs with the miR-103-3p mimic improved osteogenic differentiation and decreased adipogenic differentiation in vitro, while inhibition… More >

RUICONG GUAN^1,3,#, KUAN ZENG^1,#, MINNAN GAO¹, JIANFEN LI¹, HUIQI JIANG¹, LU ZHANG¹, JINGWEN LI¹, BIN ZHANG¹, YUQIANG LIU¹, ZHUXUAN LIU¹, DIAN WANG¹, YANQI YANG^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2455-2463, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.021661

Abstract Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based therapy is a novel candidate for heart repair. But ischemia-reperfusion injury leads to low viability of MSC. Dexmedetomidine (Dex) has been found to protect neurons against ischemia-reperfusion injury. It remains unknown if Dex could increase the viability of MSCs under ischemia. The present study is to observe the potential protective effect of Dex on MSCs under ischemia and its underlying mechanisms. Specific mRNAs related to myocardial ischemia in the GEO database were selected from the mRNA profiles assessed in a previous study using microarray. The most dysregulated mRNAs of the specific ones from the… More >

TRINIDAD MONTERO-VILCHEZ^1,2,*, MANUEL SANCHEZ-DIAZ^1,2, CAROLINA MONTERO-VILCHEZ³, ALVARO SIERRA-SANCHEZ², SALVADOR ARIAS-SANTIAGO^1,2,4

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.11, pp. 2363-2367, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.021399

Abstract Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic cutaneous inflammatory disease caused by an interaction between genetic, immune and epidermal barrier factors. Several treatments can be used to treat this disease but there are patients that do not respond to actual drugs. So, there is a need to develop effective therapies for AD. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are non-hematopoietic multipotent adult progenitor cells with immunomodulatory power and self-regenerating capacity to repair tissue damage, so they could be a potential effective treatment for AD. MSCs-Conditioned Medium (CM) and MSCs-exosomes are cell-free preparation with molecules secreted by stem cells that could be also beneficial… More >

CARL RANDALL HARRELL^1,#, ANA VOLAREVIC^2,#,*, DRAGICA PAVLOVIC³, VALENTIN DJONOV⁴, VLADISLAV VOLAREVIC^4,5,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.10, pp. 2195-2200, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.020175

Abstract Detrimental immune response has a crucially important role in the development and progression of inflammatory eye diseases. Inflammatory mediators and proteolytic enzymes released by activated immune cells induce serious injury of corneal epithelial cells and retinal ganglion cell which may result in the vision loss. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are regulatory cells which produce various immunosuppressive factors that modulate phenotype and function of inflammatory immune cells. However, several safety issues, including undesired differentiation and emboli formation, limit clinical use of MSCs. MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) are nano-sized extracellular vesicles which contain all MSC-derived immunoregulatory factors. Intraocular administration of MSC-Exos efficiently attenuated… More >