The anti-inflammatory effects of mesenchymal stem cells attenuate diffuse pulmonary hemorrhage

Mesenchymal stem cell application in pulmonary disease treatment with emphasis on their interaction with lung-resident immune cells

Due to the vital importance of the lungs, lung-related diseases and their control are very important. Severe inflammatory responses mediated by immune cells were among the leading causes of lung tissue pathology and damage during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, uncontrolled immune cell responses can lead to lung tissue damage in other infectious and non-infectious diseases. It is essential to control immune responses in a way that leads to homeostasis. Immunosuppressive drugs only suppress inflammatory responses and do not affect the homeostasis of reactions. The therapeutic application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in addition to restoring immune homeostasis, can promote the regeneration of lung tissue through the production of growth factors and differentiation into lung-related cells. However, the communication between MSCs and immune cells after treatment of pulmonary diseases is essential, and investigating this can help develop a clinical perspective. Different studies in the clinical phase showed that MSCs can reverse fibrosis, increase regeneration, promote airway remodeling, and reduce damage to lung tissue. The proliferation and differentiation potential of MSCs is one of the mechanisms of their therapeutic effects. Furthermore, they can secrete exosomes that affect the function of lung cells and immune cells and change their function. Another important mechanism is that MSCs reduce harmful inflammatory responses through communication with innate and adaptive immune cells, which leads to a shift of the immune system toward regulatory and hemostatic responses.

Comparison of Lung Tissue-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Using Multiple Dissociation Methods for Profiling Protein Biomarkers

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) operate as chemical messengers that facilitate intercellular communication. Emerging evidence has demonstrated that lung tissue-derived EVs play pivotal roles in pulmonary physiological processes and have potential as biomarkers and therapeutics for lung diseases. Multiple methods have been proposed for the isolation of lung tissue-derived EVs. However, the effects of different tissue pre-treatments on lung EV isolation and subsequent disease biomarker discovery have not yet been comprehensively investigated. In this study, we compared the physical characteristics, recovery yields, and protein compositions of EVs isolated from lung tissues using three methods based on different tissue dissociation principles. Methodologically, the beneficial roles of blood perfusion and gentle meshing were emphasized based on their impact on EV yield and purity. These results demonstrate that different methods enrich distinct subpopulations of EVs that exhibit significant differences in their protein cargo and surface properties. These disparities directly affect the diagnostic detection of marker proteins related to lung diseases, including lung tumors, asthma, and pulmonary fibrosis. Collectively, these findings highlight the variations in EV characteristics resulting from the applied approaches and offer compelling suggestions for guiding researchers in selecting a suitable isolation method based on downstream functional studies and clinical applications.

A large-scale production of mesenchymal stem cells and their exosomes for an efficient treatment against lung inflammation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and their produced exosomes have demonstrated inherent capabilities of inflammation-guided targeting and inflammatory modulation, inspiring their potential applications as biologic agents for inflammatory treatments. However, the clinical applications of stem cell therapies are currently restricted by several challenges, and one of them is the mass production of stem cells to satisfy the therapeutic demands in the clinical bench. Herein, a production of human amnion-derived MSCs (hMSCs) at a scale of over 1 × 109 cells per batch was reported using a three-dimensional (3D) culture technology based on microcarriers coupled with a spinner bioreactor system. The present study revealed that this large-scale production technology improved the inflammation-guided migration and the inflammatory suppression of hMSCs, without altering their major properties as stem cells. Moreover, these large-scale produced hMSCs showed an efficient treatment against the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced lung inflammation in mice models. Notably, exosomes collected from these large-scale produced hMSCs were observed to inherit the efficient inflammatory suppression capability of hMSCs. The present study showed that 3D culture technology using microcarriers coupled with a spinner bioreactor system can be a promising strategy for the large-scale expansion of hMSCs with improved anti-inflammation capability, as well as their secreted exosomes.