Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Promote the Proliferation of Schwann Cells by Regulating the PI3K/AKT Signaling Pathway via Transferring miR-21.

Yongbin Ma,Fen Qian,Dan Zhou,Jianhua Su,Liming Tang,Huanyan Zhang,Leonard M Eisenberg

doi:10.1155/2021/1496101

Abstract

As an alternative mesenchymal stem cell- (MSC-) based therapy, MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have shown promise in the field of regenerative medicine. We previously found that human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived EVs (hUCMSC-EVs) improved functional recovery and nerve regeneration in a rat model of sciatic nerve transection. However, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that hUCMSC-EVs promoted the proliferation of Schwann cells by activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, we showed that hUCMSC-EVs mediated Schwann cell proliferation via transfer of miR-21. Our findings highlight a novel mechanism of hUCMSC-EVs in treating peripheral nerve injury and suggest that hUCMSC-EVs may be an attractive option for clinical application in the treatment of peripheral nerve injury.

Highlights

Peripheral nerve injury has become the pivotal issue in human health because of their higher prevalence [1, 2]
Control μm μm μm μm human umbilical cord MSCs (hUCMSCs)-extracellular vesicles (EVs) μm μm μm μm confirm the modulatory role of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell- (hUCMSC-)EVs, we examined the effect of hUCMSC-EVs on Schwann cell proliferation
HUCMSC-EVs remarkably increased the expression levels of p-AKT and p-PI3K in RSC96 cells. These results indicate that hUCMSC-EVs promote Schwann cell proliferation by activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway

Summary

Introduction

Peripheral nerve injury has become the pivotal issue in human health because of their higher prevalence [1, 2]. Schwann cells are reprogrammed into repair phenotypes to provide biochemical signals and spatial cues, which support neuronal survival, axon regeneration, and redominance of target organs [6, 7]. Given that their pivotal role in the repair of peripheral nerve injury, regulating the biological function of Schwann cells may be an effective strategy to accelerate peripheral nerve regeneration and repair

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion