Exosomes derived from human CD34+ stem cells transfected with miR-26a prevent glucocorticoid-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head by promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis

Rongtai Zuo,Mengwei Wang,Qinglin Kang,Wenbo Wang,Yimin Chai,Junjie Guan,Jia Xu,Lingchi Kong

doi:10.1186/s13287-019-1426-3

Abstract

BackgroundDamaged endothelial cells and downregulated osteogenic ability are two key pathogenic mechanisms of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Recent studies suggested that transplantation of CD34+ stem cell-derived exosomes (CD34+-Exos) can treat ischemic diseases by promoting neovascularization and that miR-26a is an important positive regulator of osteogenesis. Moreover, the biological effect of exosomes is closely related to their cargo miRNAs. However, it is not clear whether increasing the abundance of miR-26a in CD34+-Exos will inhibit the progress of GC-induced ONFH.MethodsMiR-26a was overexpressed in CD34+-Exos (miR-26a-CD34+-Exos) to increase their osteogenic potential. The angiogenic potential of miR-26a-CD34+-Exos was then examined through evaluations of migration and tube-forming capacities in vitro. In addition, in order to observe the osteogenic effect of miR-26a-CD34+-Exos on bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), Alizarin red staining, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assays, and qPCR were carried out. Finally, miR-26a-CD34+-Exos were injected into a GC-induced ONFH rat model to prevent the progress of GC-induced ONFH. The biological effects of miR-26a-CD34+-Exos on the ONFH model were evaluated by micro-CT, angiography, and histological staining.ResultsOur data showed that miR-26a-CD34+-Exos enhanced human umbilical vein endothelial cell migration and tube-forming capacities. Furthermore, miR-26a-CD34+-Exos strengthened the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs under the influence of GCs in vitro. Finally, the miR-26a-CD34+-Exos increased the vessel density and trabecular bone integrity of the femoral head in the GC-induced ONFH rat model, which inhibited the progress of ONFH.ConclusionsMiR-26a-CD34+-Exos protect the femoral head from damage caused by GCs by strengthening angiogenesis and osteogenesis. The biological effect of miR-26a-CD34+-Exos make them suitable for application in the prevention of GC-induced ONFH.

Highlights

Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis is one of the most common causes of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) [1]
CD34+ stem cells were transfected with lentiviral particles carrying the miR-26a gene and negative control (NC)-green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transfected CD34+ stem cells and stable miR-26a-GFP-transfected CD34+ stem cells were observed (Fig. 1c)
The stable expression of miR-26a was detected by Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), which showed that miR-26a-GFP-transfected CD34+ stem cells had significantly higher miR-26a expression compared with the NC-GFP-transfected CD34+ stem cells (Fig. 1e)

Summary

Introduction

Glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis is one of the most common causes of osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) [1]. The pathogenesis of GC-induced ONFH could be summarized as the following two aspects: (i) damaged blood supply to the femoral head and (ii) weakened osteogenic activity [2,3,4,5,6]. The overuse of GCs can cause damage and dysfunction to vascular endothelial cells [2, 7]. Several studies have shown that GCs can directly impair endothelial cells, leading to a hypercoagulable state and abnormal microthrombus formation in the necrotic region of the femoral head, which severely reduces the blood supply to the trabecular bone [8, 9]. Damaged endothelial cells and downregulated osteogenic ability are two key pathogenic mechanisms of glucocorticoid (GC)-induced osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). It is not clear whether increasing the abundance of miR-26a in CD34+-Exos will inhibit the progress of GC-induced ONFH

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion