Kong Taeho, Seo Su Kyoung, Han Yong-Seok, Seo Woo Min, Kim Bokyong, Kim Jieun, Cho Young-Jae, Lee Seunghee, Kang Kyung-Sun
Stem Cell and Regenerative Bioengineering Institute, Global R&D Center, Kangstem Biotech Co., Ltd., Seoul 08590, Republic of Korea.
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam 13620, Republic of Korea.
Biomol Ther (Seoul). 2025 Mar 1;33(2):311-324. doi: 10.4062/biomolther.2025.004. Epub 2025 Feb 20.
Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) is a severe condition characterized by extensive lung inflammation and increased alveolar-capillary permeability, often triggered by infections or systemic inflammatory responses. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-based therapy holds promise for treating ARDS, as MSCs manifest immunomodulatory and regenerative properties that mitigate inflammation and enhance tissue repair. Primed MSCs, modified to augment specific functionalities, demonstrate superior therapeutic efficacy in targeted therapies compared to naive MSCs. This study explored the immunomodulatory potential of MSCs using mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assays and co-culture experiments with M1/M2 macrophages. Additionally, RNA sequencing was employed to identify alterations in immune and inflammation-related factors in primed MSCs. The therapeutic effects of primed MSCs were assessed in an LPS-induced ARDS mouse model, and the underlying mechanisms were investigated through spatial transcriptomics analysis. The study revealed that MSCs primed with IFN-γ and IL-1β significantly enhanced the suppression of T cell activity compared to naive MSCs, concurrently inhibiting TNF-α while increasing IL-10 production in macrophages. Notably, combined treatment with these two cytokines resulted in a significant upregulation of immune and inflammation-regulating factors. Furthermore, our analyses elucidated the mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of primed MSCs, including the inhibition of inflammatory cell infiltration in lung tissue, modulation of immune and inflammatory responses, and enhancement of elastin fiber formation. Signaling pathway analysis confirmed that efficacy could be enhanced by modulating NFκB and TNF-α signaling. In conclusion, in early-phase ARDS, primed MSCs displayed enhanced homing capabilities, improved lung function, and reduced inflammation.
急性呼吸窘迫综合征(ARDS)是一种严重病症,其特征为广泛的肺部炎症和肺泡-毛细血管通透性增加,通常由感染或全身炎症反应引发。基于间充质干细胞(MSCs)的疗法有望治疗ARDS,因为MSCs具有免疫调节和再生特性,可减轻炎症并增强组织修复。经预处理以增强特定功能的MSCs在靶向治疗中显示出比未处理的MSCs更优异的治疗效果。本研究使用混合淋巴细胞反应(MLR)测定法以及与M1/M2巨噬细胞的共培养实验,探究了MSCs的免疫调节潜力。此外,采用RNA测序来鉴定预处理MSCs中免疫和炎症相关因子的变化。在脂多糖诱导的ARDS小鼠模型中评估了预处理MSCs的治疗效果,并通过空间转录组学分析研究了其潜在机制。研究表明,与未处理的MSCs相比,用IFN-γ和IL-1β预处理的MSCs显著增强了对T细胞活性的抑制,同时抑制TNF-α,而增加巨噬细胞中IL-10的产生。值得注意的是,这两种细胞因子联合处理导致免疫和炎症调节因子显著上调。此外,我们的分析阐明了预处理MSCs治疗效果背后的机制,包括抑制肺组织中的炎性细胞浸润、调节免疫和炎症反应以及增强弹性纤维形成。信号通路分析证实,通过调节NFκB和TNF-α信号通路可提高疗效。总之,在早期ARDS中,预处理的MSCs表现出增强的归巢能力、改善的肺功能和减轻的炎症。