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Harrell CR, Djonov V, Volarevic A, Arsenijevic A, Volarevic V. Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for the Therapeutic Potential of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes in the Treatment of Lung Fibrosis. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4378. [PMID: 38673961 PMCID: PMC11050301 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) are nano-sized extracellular vesicles which contain various MSC-sourced anti-fibrotic, immunoregulatory and angio-modulatory proteins (growth factors, immunoregulatory cytokines, chemokines), lipids, and nucleic acids (messenger RNA and microRNAs). Due to their lipid envelope, MSC-Exos easily by-pass all barriers in the body and deliver their cargo directly in target cells, modulating their viability, proliferation, phenotype and function. The results obtained in recently published experimental studies demonstrated beneficial effects of MSC-Exos in the treatment of lung fibrosis. MSC-Exos reduced activation of fibroblasts and prevented their differentiation in myofibroblasts. By delivering MSC-sourced immunoregulatory factors in lung-infiltrated monocytes and T cells, MSC-Exos modulate their function, alleviating on-going inflammation and fibrosis. MSC-Exos may also serve as vehicles for the target delivery of anti-fibrotic and immunomodulatory agents, enabling enhanced attenuation of lung fibrosis. Although numerous pre-clinical studies have demonstrated the therapeutic potential of MSC-Exos in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, there are several challenges that currently hinder their clinical implementation. Therefore, in this review article, we summarized current knowledge and we discussed future perspectives regarding molecular and cellular mechanisms which were responsible for the anti-fibrotic, anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory properties of MSC-Exos, paving the way for their clinical use in the treatment of lung fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Randall Harrell
- Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, 34176 US Highway 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684, USA;
| | - Valentin Djonov
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Ana Volarevic
- Department of Psychology, Center for Research on Harmful Effects of Biological and Chemical Hazards, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 69 Svetozara Markovica Street, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
| | - Aleksandar Arsenijevic
- Departments of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Research on Harmful Effects of Biological and Chemical Hazards, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 69 Svetozara Markovica Street, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Vladislav Volarevic
- Departments of Genetics, Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Research on Harmful Effects of Biological and Chemical Hazards, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 69 Svetozara Markovica Street, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
- Faculty of Pharmacy Novi Sad, Trg Mladenaca 5, 21000 Novi Sad, Serbia
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Harrell CR, Djonov V, Volarevic V. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived microRNAs: Friends or foes of tumor cells? Histol Histopathol 2023; 38:1373-1379. [PMID: 37306386 DOI: 10.14670/hh-18-633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-dependent biological effects in the tumor microenvironment mainly rely on the activity of MSC-sourced microRNAs (MSC-miRNAs) which modulate protein synthesis in target tumor cells, endothelial cells and tumor-infiltrated immune cells, regulating their phenotype and function. Several MSC-sourced miRNAs (miR-221, miR-23b, miR-21-5p, miR-222/223, miR-15a miR-424, miR-30b, miR-30c) possess tumor-promoting properties and are able to enhance viability, invasiveness and metastatic potential of malignant cells, induce proliferation and sprouting of tumor endothelial cells and suppress effector functions of cytotoxic tumor-infiltrated immune cells, crucially contributing to the rapid growth and progression of tumor tissue. On the contrary, MSCs also produce "anti-tumorigenic" miRNAs (miR-100, miR-222-3p, miR-146b miR-302a, miR-338-5p, miR-100-5p and miR-1246) which suppress tumor growth and progression by: Up-regulating expression of chemoresistance-related genes in tumor cells, by suppressing neo-angiogenesis and by inducing generation of tumorotoxic phenotypes in tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes. In this review article, we summarize the current knowledge about molecular mechanisms that are responsible for MSC-miRNA-dependent alterations of intracellular signaling in tumor and immune cells and we discuss different insights regarding the therapeutic potential of MSC-derived miRNAs in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Vladislav Volarevic
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
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Harrell CR, Feulner L, Djonov V, Pavlovic D, Volarevic V. The Molecular Mechanisms Responsible for Tear Hyperosmolarity-Induced Pathological Changes in the Eyes of Dry Eye Disease Patients. Cells 2023; 12:2755. [PMID: 38067183 PMCID: PMC10706334 DOI: 10.3390/cells12232755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial disorder of the lacrimal system and ocular surface, characterized by a deficiency in the quality and/or quantity of the tear fluid. The multifactorial nature of DED encompasses a number of interconnected underlying pathologies, including loss of homeostasis, instability and hyperosmolarity of the tears, and the induction and propagation of detrimental inflammatory responses in the eyes, which finally results in the development of neurosensory dysfunction and visual disruption. Dryness, grittiness, scratchiness, discomfort, inflammation, burning, watering, ocular fatigue, pain, and decreased functional visual acuity are common symptoms of DED. Eye dysfunction drastically attenuates patients' quality of life. Accordingly, a better understanding of the pathogenic processes that regulate the development and progression of DED is crucially important for the establishment of new and more effective DED-related treatment approaches, which would significantly improve the quality of life of DED patients. Since the process of osmoregulation, which guards the ocular surface epithelia and maintains normal vision, is affected when the osmolarity of the tears is greater than that of the epithelial cells, tear hyperosmolarity (THO) is considered an initial, important step in the development, progression, and aggravation of DED. In order to delineate the role of THO in the pathogenesis of DED, in this review article, we summarize current knowledge related to the molecular mechanisms responsible for the development of THO-induced pathological changes in the eyes of DED patients, and we briefly discuss the therapeutic potential of hypo-osmotic eye drops in DED treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Randall Harrell
- Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, 34176 US Highway 19 N, Palm Harbor, FL 34684, USA;
| | - Lisa Feulner
- Advanced Eye Care & Aesthetics, 104 Plumtree Rd Suite 107, Bel Air, MD 21015, USA;
| | - Valentin Djonov
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 2, 3012 Bern, Switzerland;
| | - Dragica Pavlovic
- Departments of Genetics and Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Harm Reduction of Biological and Chemical Hazards, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 69 Svetozar Markovic Street, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
| | - Vladislav Volarevic
- Departments of Genetics and Microbiology and Immunology, Center for Harm Reduction of Biological and Chemical Hazards, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, 69 Svetozar Markovic Street, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia;
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Harrell CR, Simovic Markovic B, Fellabaum C, Arsenijevic A, Djonov V, Volarevic V. Molecular mechanisms underlying therapeutic potential of pericytes. J Biomed Sci 2018; 25:21. [PMID: 29519245 PMCID: PMC5844098 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-018-0423-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2017] [Accepted: 02/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Pericytes are multipotent cells present in every vascularized tissue in the body. Despite the fact that they are well-known for more than a century, pericytes are still representing cells with intriguing properties. This is mainly because of their heterogeneity in terms of definition, tissue distribution, origin, phenotype and multi-functional properties. The body of knowledge illustrates importance of pericytes in the regulation of homeostatic and healing processes in the body. MAIN BODY In this review, we summarized current knowledge regarding identification, isolation, ontogeny and functional characteristics of pericytes and described molecular mechanisms involved in the crosstalk between pericytes and endothelial or immune cells. We highlighted the role of pericytes in the pathogenesis of fibrosis, diabetes-related complications (retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and erectile dysfunction), ischemic organ failure, pulmonary hypertension, Alzheimer disease, tumor growth and metastasis with the focus on their therapeutic potential in the regenerative medicine. The functions and capabilities of pericytes are impressive and, as yet, incompletely understood. Molecular mechanisms responsible for pericyte-mediated regulation of vascular stability, angiogenesis and blood flow are well described while their regenerative and immunomodulatory characteristics are still not completely revealed. Strong evidence for pericytes' participation in physiological, as well as in pathological conditions reveals a broad potential for their therapeutic use. Recently published results obtained in animal studies showed that transplantation of pericytes could positively influence the healing of bone, muscle and skin and could support revascularization. However, the differences in their phenotype and function as well as the lack of standardized procedure for their isolation and characterization limit their use in clinical trials. CONCLUSION Critical to further progress in clinical application of pericytes will be identification of tissue specific pericyte phenotype and function, validation and standardization of the procedure for their isolation that will enable establishment of precise clinical settings in which pericyte-based therapy will be efficiently applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Randall Harrell
- Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, 34176 US Highway 19 N Palm Harbor, Palm Harbor, Florida USA
| | - Bojana Simovic Markovic
- Department of Microbiology and immunology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, Faculty of Medical Sciences, 69 Svetozar Markovic Street, Kragujevac, 34000 Serbia
| | - Crissy Fellabaum
- Regenerative Processing Plant, LLC, 34176 US Highway 19 N Palm Harbor, Palm Harbor, Florida USA
| | - Aleksandar Arsenijevic
- Department of Microbiology and immunology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, Faculty of Medical Sciences, 69 Svetozar Markovic Street, Kragujevac, 34000 Serbia
| | - Valentin Djonov
- University of Bern, Institute of Anatomy, Baltzerstrasse 2, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Vladislav Volarevic
- Department of Microbiology and immunology, Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of Kragujevac, Serbia, Faculty of Medical Sciences, 69 Svetozar Markovic Street, Kragujevac, 34000 Serbia
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Zivancevic-Simonovic S, Mihaljevic O, Majstorovic I, Popovic S, Markovic S, Milosevic-Djordjevic O, Jovanovic Z, Mijatovic-Teodorovic L, Mihajlovic D, Colic M. Cytokine production in patients with papillary thyroid cancer and associated autoimmune Hashimoto thyroiditis. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2015; 64:1011-9. [PMID: 25971541 PMCID: PMC11029755 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-015-1705-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2015] [Accepted: 04/25/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is the most frequent thyroid autoimmune disease, while papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is one of the most common endocrine malignancies. A few patients with HT also develop PTC. The aim of this study was to analyze cytokine profiles in patients with PTC accompanied with autoimmune HT in comparison with those in patients with PTC alone or HT alone and healthy subjects. Cytokine levels were determined in supernatants obtained from phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated whole blood cultures in vitro. The concentrations of selected cytokines: Th1-interferon gamma (IFN-γ); Th2-interleukin 4 (IL-4), interleukin 5 (IL-5), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin 10 (IL-10) and interleukin 13 (IL-13); Th9-interleukin 9 (IL-9); and Th17-interleukin 17 (IL-17A) were measured using multiplex cytokine detection systems for human Th1/Th2/Th9/Th17/Th22. We found that PTC patients with HT produced significantly higher concentrations of IL-4, IL-6, IL-9, IL-13 and IFN-γ than PTC patients without HT. In conclusion, autoimmune HT affects the cytokine profile of patients with PTC by stimulating secretion of Th1/Th2/Th9 types of cytokines. Th1/Th2 cytokine ratios in PTC patients with associated autoimmune HT indicate a marked shift toward Th2 immunity.
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