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Cucinella G, Gullo G, Catania E, Perino A, Billone V, Marinelli S, Napoletano G, Zaami S. Stem Cells and Infertility: A Review of Clinical Applications and Legal Frameworks. J Pers Med 2024; 14:135. [PMID: 38392569 PMCID: PMC10890184 DOI: 10.3390/jpm14020135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Infertility is a condition defined by the failure to establish a clinical pregnancy after 12 months of regular, unprotected sexual intercourse or due to an impairment of a person's capacity to reproduce either as an individual or with their partner. The authors have set out to succinctly investigate, explore, and assess infertility treatments, harnessing the potential of stem cells to effectively and safely treat infertility; in addition, this paper will present the legal and regulatory complexities at the heart of stem cell research, with an overview of the legislative state of affairs in six major European countries. For couples who cannot benefit from assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to treat their infertility, stem-cells-based approaches have been shown to be a highly promising approach. Nonetheless, lingering ethical and immunological uncertainties require more conclusive findings and data before such treatment avenues can become mainstream and be applied on a large scale. The isolation of human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is ethically controversial, since their collection involves the destruction of human embryonic tissue. Overall, stem cell research has resulted in important new breakthroughs in the treatment of infertility. The effort to untangle the complex web of ethical and legal issues associated with such therapeutic approaches will have to rely on evidence-based, broadly shared standards, guidelines, and best practices to make sure that the procreative rights of patients can be effectively reconciled with the core values at the heart of medical ethics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaspare Cucinella
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Villa Sofia Cervello Hospital, University of Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Gullo
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Villa Sofia Cervello Hospital, University of Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Erika Catania
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Villa Sofia Cervello Hospital, University of Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Antonio Perino
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Villa Sofia Cervello Hospital, University of Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | - Valentina Billone
- IVF Unit, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Villa Sofia Cervello Hospital, University of Palermo, 90146 Palermo, Italy
| | | | - Gabriele Napoletano
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
| | - Simona Zaami
- Department of Anatomical, Histological, Forensic and Orthopedic Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy
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Chen L, Qu J, Mei Q, Chen X, Fang Y, Chen L, Li Y, Xiang C. Small extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) as a novel therapeutic impetus in regenerative medicine. Stem Cell Res Ther 2021; 12:433. [PMID: 34344458 PMCID: PMC8330084 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-021-02511-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/11/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) have great potential in regenerative medicine. MenSC has received increasing attention owing to its impressive therapeutic effects in both preclinical and clinical trials. However, the study of MenSC-derived small extracellular vesicles (EVs) is still in its initial stages, in contrast to some common MSC sources (e.g., bone marrow, umbilical cord, and adipose tissue). We describe the basic characteristics and biological functions of MenSC-derived small EVs. We also demonstrate the therapeutic potential of small EVs in fulminant hepatic failure, myocardial infarction, pulmonary fibrosis, prostate cancer, cutaneous wound, type-1 diabetes mellitus, aged fertility, and potential diseases. Subsequently, novel hotspots with respect to MenSC EV-based therapy are proposed to overcome current challenges. While complexities regarding the therapeutic potential of MenSC EVs continue to be unraveled, advances are rapidly emerging in both basic science and clinical medicine. MenSC EV-based treatment has great potential for treating a series of diseases as a novel therapeutic strategy in regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lijun Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China
| | - Jingjing Qu
- Department of Respiratory Disease, Thoracic Disease Centre, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China
| | - Quanhui Mei
- Department of Intensive Care Unit, The First People's Hospital of Changde City, Changde, Hunan, 415000, People's Republic of China
| | - Xin Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China
| | - Yangxin Fang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China
| | - Lu Chen
- Innovative Precision Medicine (IPM) Group, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 311215, People's Republic of China
| | - Yifei Li
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China
| | - Charlie Xiang
- State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310003, People's Republic of China.
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Liu YR, Cheng YQ, Wang SB, Su YR, Liu Y, Li CY, Jin L, Wan Q, Sang X, Wang ZC. Therapeutic effects and perspective of stem cell extracellular vesicles in aging and cancer. J Cell Physiol 2020; 236:4783-4796. [PMID: 33368322 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.30212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 11/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Senescent cells can secrete a plethora of cytokines which induce senescent phenotype of neighboring cells and was called senescence-associated secretory phenotype. Previously, it was believed that cancer was caused by the infinite division and uncontrolled proliferation of cells. Based on this, anticancer treatments were all aimed at killing cancer cells. Cancer is now considered an age-related disease. Cancer cells are not exogenous, but one of the worst results of injuries which initially induce cell senescence. Therefore, reversing cell senescence can fundamentally prevent and treat cancer. Though current anticancer treatments induce the cancer cells apoptosis, they induce senescence of normal cells at the same time, thus promoting the occurrence and development of cancer and forming a vicious circle. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized vesicles which partially mirror their parent cells. In the tumor microenvironment, EVs of senescent cells can change the expression profile of cancer cells, contributing to their resistance to chemotherapy. There is growing evidence indicates that stem cell EVs exert effective antiaging and anticancer actions by transferring functional microRNAs and proteins. This review will summarize the therapeutic role of stem cell EVs in reversing aging and cancer, which suggests the broad clinical application perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Run Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Qi Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Shou-Bi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ya-Ru Su
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Ying Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Chao-Yang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Lin Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Qi Wan
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xuan Sang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Zhi-Chong Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
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Extracellular Vesicles, the Road toward the Improvement of ART Outcomes. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:ani10112171. [PMID: 33233342 PMCID: PMC7700519 DOI: 10.3390/ani10112171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Nowadays, farm animal industries use assisted reproductive technologies (ART) as a tool to manage herds' reproductive outcomes, for a fast dissemination of genetic improvement as well as to bypass subfertility issues. ART comprise at least one of the following procedures: collection and handling of oocytes, sperm, and embryos in in vitro conditions. Therefore, in these conditions, the interaction with the oviductal environment of gametes and early embryos during fertilization and the first stages of embryo development is lost. As a result, embryos obtained in in vitro fertilization (IVF) have less quality in comparison with those obtained in vivo, and have lower chances to implant and develop into viable offspring. In addition, media currently used for IVF are very similar to those empirically developed more than five decades ago. Recently, the importance of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the fertility process has flourished. EVs are recognized as effective intercellular vehicles for communication as they deliver their cargo of proteins, lipids, and genetic material. Thus, during their transit through the female reproductive tract both gametes, oocyte and spermatozoa (that previously encountered EVs produced by male reproductive tract) interact with EVs produced by the female reproductive tract, passing them important information that contributes to a successful fertilization and embryo development. This fact highlights that the reproductive tract EVs cargo has an important role in reproductive events, which is missing in current ART media. This review aims to recapitulate recent advances in EVs functions on the fertilization process, highlighting the latest proposals with an applied approach to enhance ART outcome through EV utilization as an additive to the media of current ART procedures.
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Liu C, Yin H, Jiang H, Du X, Wang C, Liu Y, Li Y, Yang Z. Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Mesenchymal Stem Cells Recover Fertility of Premature Ovarian Insufficiency Mice and the Effects on their Offspring. Cell Transplant 2020; 29:963689720923575. [PMID: 32363925 PMCID: PMC7586265 DOI: 10.1177/0963689720923575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been reported that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (HUCMSCs) can promote the proliferative and secretive functions of granulosa cells. In vivo study further demonstrated that EVs derived from HUCMSCs can not only promote the angiogenesis of ovarian tissue but also restore the function of an ovary of chemically induced premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) mice. However, no study investigates the effects of HUCMSCs derived EVs on fertility recovery of POI mice and evaluating their offspring. This study investigates the effects of HUCMSCs derived EVs on fertility recovery and the cognitive function of their offspring. A POI model was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (CTX) and busulfan (BUS), and randomly divided into EVs-transplantation group (a single injection of 150 µg EVs proteins which suspended in 0.1 ml phosphate buffer saline [PBS] via tail vein), POI group (a single injection of 0.1 ml PBS via tail vein), and normal control group (a single injection of 0.1 ml PBS via tail vein without intraperitoneal injection of CTX and BUS). After EVs treatment, not only the ovarian function of POI mice recovered but also the fertility increased with less time to get pregnant, evaluating by in vitro fertilization and mating test. Cognitive behaviors of the offspring were similar among the three groups through the Y-maze test and novel object recognition task. An anti-apoptotic effect was identified through immunohistochemistry, real-time polymerase chain reaction and western blot. These findings indicate that HUCMSCs derived EVs can improve the fertility of POI mice without adverse effects on the cognitive behavior of their offspring, highlighting the potential value of EVs to be a cell-free therapy for patients suffering from POI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conghui Liu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Huiqun Yin
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Hong Jiang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Xin Du
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Cunli Wang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Yingchun Liu
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Yu Li
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
| | - Ziling Yang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, 105th Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army, Hefei, China
- The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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Yao X, Wei W, Wang X, Chenglin L, Björklund M, Ouyang H. Stem cell derived exosomes: microRNA therapy for age-related musculoskeletal disorders. Biomaterials 2019; 224:119492. [PMID: 31557588 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2019.119492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Revised: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 09/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Age-associated musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) have been historically overlooked by mainstream biopharmaceutical researchers. However, it has now been recognized that stem and progenitor cells confer innate healing capacity for the musculoskeletal system. Current evidence indicates that exosomes are particularly important in this process as they can mediate sequential and reciprocal interactions between cells to initiate and enhance healing. The present review focuses on stem cells (SCs) derived exosomes as a regenerative therapy for treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. We discuss mechanisms involving exosome-mediated transfer of RNAs and how these have been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo to affect signal transduction pathways in target cells. We envision that standardized protocols for stem cell culture as well as for the isolation and characterization of exosomes enable GMP-compliant large-scale production of SCs-derived exosomes. Hence, potential new treatment for age-related degenerative diseases can be seen in the horizon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xudong Yao
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China; Dr. Li Dak Sum and Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Wei Wei
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China; Dr. Li Dak Sum and Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiaozhao Wang
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China; Dr. Li Dak Sum and Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Li Chenglin
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China; Dr. Li Dak Sum and Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Mikael Björklund
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China
| | - Hongwei Ouyang
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute (ZJU-UoE Institute), Zhejiang University, Haining, China; Dr. Li Dak Sum and Yip Yio Chin Center for Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; Key Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine of Zhejiang Province, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China; China Orthopedic Regenerative Medicine Group (CORMed), Hangzhou, China.
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