Wang Bin, Yu Ruizhu, Zhang Zhao, Peng Yuhong, Li Li
Department of Reproduction, The Tenth Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University (Dongguan People's Hospital), No.78, Wandao Road, Wanjiang District, Dongguan, 523059, Guangdong Province, China.
Department of Rheumatology, The Tenth Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University (Dongguan People's Hospital), No.78, Wandao Road, Wanjiang District, Dongguan, 523059, Guangdong Province, China.
Mol Cell Biochem. 2025 Apr 21. doi: 10.1007/s11010-025-05283-2.
Chronic endometritis (CE) is a key factor in adverse pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage and infertility. Macrophages are an important immune cell type that secrete pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines that are essential for maintaining endometrial function. This study aimed to investigate the key mechanisms by which exosomes derived from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) regulate macrophage polarization through the sirtuin 2 (SIRT2)/NOD-like receptor pyrin containing 3 (NLRP3) axis and exert a protective effect on CE. Exosomes were obtained from ADSCs (ADSCs-exo) using the classical ultracentrifugation method and characterized using transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and western blotting. ADSCs-exo protective effects on CE mice and RAW 264.7 cells and its related molecular mechanisms were investigated using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction, western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, immunoprecipitation, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. ADSCs-exo significantly inhibited M1 macrophage polarization, as evidenced by a 54% reduction in tumor necrosis factor alfa (TNF-α), a 46% reduction in interleukin 1β (IL-1β), and a 36% reduction in interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels in LPS-induced RAW264.7 cells. In vivo, ADSCs-exo treatment reduced the expression of TNF-α by 50%, IL-1β by 58%, and IL-6 by 49% in the uterine tissues of CE mice. Moreover, ADSCs-exo upregulated the expression of SIRT2, promoted the deacetylation modification of NLRP3 to inhibit NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and further suppressed M1 macrophage polarization. However, these trends were reversed after SIRT2 silencing. Our experimental results demonstrate that ADSCs-exo alleviate CE by regulating the SIRT2/NLRP3 axis to inhibit M1 macrophage polarization. This provides a potential theoretical basis for the therapeutic role of stem cells in CE.
慢性子宫内膜炎(CE)是导致流产和不孕等不良妊娠结局的关键因素。巨噬细胞是一种重要的免疫细胞类型,可分泌对维持子宫内膜功能至关重要的促炎和抗炎细胞因子。本研究旨在探讨脂肪间充质干细胞(ADSCs)来源的外泌体通过沉默调节蛋白2(SIRT2)/含NOD样受体蛋白3(NLRP3)轴调节巨噬细胞极化并对CE发挥保护作用的关键机制。采用经典超速离心法从ADSCs中获取外泌体(ADSCs-exo),并通过透射电子显微镜、纳米颗粒跟踪分析和蛋白质印迹法对其进行表征。使用实时定量聚合酶链反应、蛋白质印迹法、酶联免疫吸附测定、流式细胞术、免疫荧光、免疫沉淀、苏木精-伊红染色和免疫组织化学研究ADSCs-exo对CE小鼠和RAW 264.7细胞的保护作用及其相关分子机制。ADSCs-exo显著抑制M1巨噬细胞极化,脂多糖诱导的RAW264.7细胞中肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)水平降低54%、白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)水平降低46%、白细胞介素6(IL-6)水平降低36%证明了这一点。在体内,ADSCs-exo处理使CE小鼠子宫组织中TNF-α表达降低50%、IL-1β降低58%、IL-6降低49%。此外,ADSCs-exo上调SIRT2的表达,促进NLRP3的去乙酰化修饰以抑制NLRP3炎性小体激活,并进一步抑制M1巨噬细胞极化。然而,SIRT2沉默后这些趋势发生了逆转。我们的实验结果表明,ADSCs-exo通过调节SIRT2/NLRP3轴抑制M1巨噬细胞极化来减轻CE。这为干细胞在CE中的治疗作用提供了潜在的理论基础。