Kim Eunae, Kim Hark Kyun, Sul Jae Hoon, Lee Jeongmi, Baek Seung Hyun, Cho Yoonsuk, Han Jihoon, Kim Junsik, Park Sunyoung, Park Jae Hyung, Cho Yong Woo, Jo Dong-Gyu
School of Pharmacy, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Republic of Korea.
Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Science & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 06355, Republic of Korea.
Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2024 Jul 1;32(4):432-441. doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2023.191. Epub 2024 Jun 5.
Systemic sclerosis is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory reactions and fibrosis. Myofibroblasts are considered therapeutic targets for preventing and reversing the pathogenesis of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. Although the mechanisms that differentiate into myofibroblasts are diverse, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) is known to be a key mediator of fibrosis in systemic sclerosis. This study investigated the effects of extracellular vesicles derived from human adipose stem cells (ASC-EVs) in an systemic sclerosis model and TGF-β1-induced dermal fibroblasts. The therapeutic effects of ASC-EVs on the systemic sclerosis model were evaluated based on dermal thickness and the number of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA)-expressing cells using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry. Administration of ASC-EVs decreased both the dermal thickness and α-SMA expressing cell number as well as the mRNA levels of fibrotic genes, such as and Additionally, we discovered that ASC-EVs can decrease the expression of α-SMA and CTGF and suppress the TGF-β pathway by inhibiting the activation of SMAD2 in dermal fibroblasts induced by TGF-β1. Finally, TGF-β1-induced dermal fibroblasts underwent selective death through ASC-EVs treatment. These results indicate that ASC-EVs could provide a therapeutic approach for preventing and reversing systemic sclerosis.
系统性硬化症是一种以炎症反应和纤维化为特征的自身免疫性疾病。肌成纤维细胞被认为是预防和逆转系统性硬化症纤维化发病机制的治疗靶点。尽管分化为肌成纤维细胞的机制多种多样,但转化生长因子β(TGF-β)已知是系统性硬化症纤维化的关键介质。本研究调查了人脂肪干细胞来源的细胞外囊泡(ASC-EVs)在系统性硬化症模型和TGF-β1诱导的真皮成纤维细胞中的作用。基于苏木精和伊红染色以及免疫组织化学,通过真皮厚度和α平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-SMA)表达细胞数量评估了ASC-EVs对系统性硬化症模型的治疗效果。ASC-EVs的给药降低了真皮厚度、α-SMA表达细胞数量以及纤维化基因的mRNA水平,如 此外,我们发现ASC-EVs可以降低α-SMA和结缔组织生长因子(CTGF)的表达,并通过抑制TGF-β1诱导的真皮成纤维细胞中SMAD2的激活来抑制TGF-β信号通路。最后,TGF-β1诱导的真皮成纤维细胞通过ASC-EVs处理发生选择性死亡。这些结果表明,ASC-EVs可为预防和逆转系统性硬化症提供一种治疗方法。