Mitochondrial activity regulates the differentiation of skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells into brown adipocytes to contribute to hypertension

Preclinical and mechanistic perspectives on adipose-derived stem cells for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease treatment

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSCs) are a promising therapeutic modality for cardiovascular diseases due to their immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenic properties. This manuscript explores the current status, challenges, and future directions of AD-MSC therapies, focusing on their application in atherosclerosis (AS), myocardial infarction (MI), and heart failure (HF). Preclinical studies highlight AD-MSC's ability to stabilise atherosclerotic plaques, reduce inflammation, and enhance myocardial repair through mechanisms such as macrophage polarisation, endothelial protection, and angiogenesis. Genetically and pharmacologically modified AD-MSCs, including those overexpressing SIRT1, IGF-1, and PD-L1 or primed with bioactive compounds, exhibit superior efficacy compared to unmodified cells. These modifications enhance cell survival, immunopotency, and reparative capacity, showcasing the potential for tailored therapies. However, clinical translation faces significant hurdles. While recent clinical trials have confirmed the safety of AD-MSC therapy, their efficacy remains inconsistent, necessitating further optimisation of patient selection, dosing strategies, and delivery methods. Donor variability, particularly in patients with co-morbidities like type 2 diabetes (T2D) or obesity, impairs AD-MSC efficacy. Emerging research on extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from AD-MSC offers a promising cell-free alternative, retaining the therapeutic benefits while mitigating risks. Future perspectives emphasise the need for multidisciplinary approaches to overcome these limitations. Strategies include refining genetic modifications, exploring EV-based therapies, and integrating personalised medicine and advanced diagnostic tools. By addressing these challenges, AD-MSC therapies hold the potential to revolutionise the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, providing innovative solutions to improve patient outcomes.

mTORC1 regulates the proliferation of SOX9+ porcine skin-derived stem cells (pSDSCs) by promoting S6K phosphorylation

Skin-derived stem cells (SDSCs) are a subtype of adult stem cells (ASCs) that are widely harvested and exempt from ethical restrictions in clinical applications. These cells possess capabilities for self-renewal, proliferation, and multi-lineage differentiation. Compared to model animals like rats and mice, pigs exhibit greater physiological similarity to humans. Porcine skin has very similar histological and physiological characteristics to human skin. Therefore, porcine skin is becoming increasingly significant as an in vitro model for research. In this study, porcine skin-derived stem cells (pSDSCs) were isolated and cultured in vitro for experiments. The expression of stemness-related gene SOX9 was detected. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) results found that the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway was significantly enriched in SOX9+ pSDSCs. To investigate the role of the mTOR signaling pathway, we added rapamycin (RAPA), an inhibitor of the mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1), and found that the proliferation rate of SOX9+ pSDSCs decreased significantly during culture. In addition, western blotting (WB) results demonstrated that mTORC1 promoted proliferation by phosphorylating S6 kinase (S6K) and then activating cyclin D1(CCND1) in SOX9+ pSDSCs. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms of adult stem cell proliferation.

The protective role of brown adipose tissue in cardiac cell damage after myocardial infarction and heart failure

Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and related cardiovascular disease complications are the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is thermogenic and characterized by the uncoupling protein expression. Recent studies have found that in cardiovascular diseases, activated BAT can effectively improve the prognosis of AMI and concurrent heart failure through intercellular communication. However, a clear and systematic understanding of the myocardial protective mechanism of BAT after AMI is lacking, especially in the endocrine function of BAT. This review describes the effects of BAT on various cells in the heart after AMI. BAT plays a protective role on cardiac cells and fibroblasts during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), myocardial remodeling, and myocardial fibrosis. This review also discusses the changes caused by BAT activation in different stages of heart failure. Finally, this review summarizes the treatment methods that target BAT to improve AMI. Further in-depth researches are still needed to clarify the underlying mechanism of the connection between BAT and different cells in cardiac tissue in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.

A Review of Structural Features, Biological Functions and Biotransformation Studies in Adipose Tissues and an Assessment of Progress and Implications

Roles for adipose tissues in energy metabolism, health maintenance and disease onset have been established. Evidence indicates that white, brown and beige fats are quite different in terms of their cellular origin and biological characteristics. These differences are significant in targeting adipocytes to study the pathogenesis and prevention strategies of related diseases. The biotransformations of white, brown and beige fat cells constitute an intriguing topic worthy of further study, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the biotransformations of white, brown and beige fat cells remain to be elucidated. Hence, we herein collected evidence from studies on adipose tissue or adipocytes, and we extracted the structural features, biologic functions, and biotransformations of adipose tissue/adipocytes. The present review aimed to summarize the latest research progress and propose novel research directions with respect to adipose tissue and adipocytes. We posit that this work will provide new insights and opportunities in the effective treatment strategies for obesity, diabetes and other lipid-related diseases. It will also contribute to our knowledge of the basic biologic underpinnings of adipocyte biology.

EndMT-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a new therapeutic target to atherosclerosis treatment

Cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and stroke, are the main threats to human health worldwide. Atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disorder, plays a role as an initiator of all of the above-mentioned diseases. Cell therapy for diseases has attracted widespread attention. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of stem cell that still exist in adults and have the characteristics of self-renewal ability, pluripotent differentiation potential, immunomodulation, tissue regeneration, anti-inflammation and low immunogenicity. In light of the properties of MSCs, some researchers have begun to target MSCs to create a possible way to alleviate atherosclerosis. Most of these studies are focused on MSC transplantation, injecting MSCs to modulate macrophages, the key inflammatory cell in atherosclerosis plaque. According to recent studies, researchers found that endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has something to do with atherosclerosis development. A new cell type MSC might also appear during the EndMT process. In this article, we summarize the characteristics of MSCs, the latest progress of MSC research and its application prospects, and in view of the process of EndMT occurring in atherosclerosis, we propose some new ideas for the treatment of atherosclerosis by targeting MSCs.