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World Journal of Emergency Medicine ›› 2021, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (1): 61-67.doi: 10.5847/wjem.j.1920-8642.2021.01.010

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells on oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion-induced neuronal injury

Shuang-shuang Gu1, Xiu-wen Kang1,2, Jun Wang2, Xiao-fang Guo1, Hao Sun1, Lei Jiang1(), Jin-song Zhang1()   

  1. 1 Department of Emergency, the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China
    2 Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
  • Received:2020-03-29 Accepted:2020-09-20 Online:2021-01-01 Published:2021-01-01
  • Contact: Lei Jiang,Jin-song Zhang E-mail:racheljl@126.com;zhangjso@njmu.edu.cn

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have shown therapeutic potential for cerebral ischemic diseases. However, the mechanisms by which BMSC-derived sEVs (BMSC-sEVs) protect neurons against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remain unclear. In this study, we explored the neuroprotective effects of BMSC-sEVs in the primary culture of rat cortical neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) injury.

METHODS: The primary cortical neuron OGD/R model was established to simulate the process of cerebral I/R in vitro. Based on this model, we examined whether the mechanism through which BMSC-sEVs could rescue OGD/R-induced neuronal injury.

RESULTS: BMSC-sEVs (20 μg/mL, 40 μg/mL) significantly decreased the reactive oxygen species (ROS) productions, and increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx). Additionally, BMSC-sEVs prevented OGD/R-induced neuronal apoptosis in vivo, as indicated by increased cell viability, reduced lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage, decreased terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining-positive cells, down-regulated cleaved caspase-3, and up-regulated Bcl-2/Bax ratio. Furthermore, Western blot and flow cytometry analysis indicated that BMSC-sEV treatment decreased the expression of phosphorylated calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (p-CaMK II)/CaMK II, suppressed the increase of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) caused by OGD/R in neurons.

CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that BMSC-sEVs have significant neuroprotective effects against OGD/R-induced cell injury by suppressing oxidative stress and apoptosis, and Ca2+/CaMK II signaling pathways may be involved in this process.

Key words: Oxygen-glucose deprivation and reperfusion, Cortical neurons, Oxidative stress, Small extracellular vesicles