Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promote neurological function recovery in rat after traumatic brain injury by inhibiting the activation of microglia and astrocyte
Lianxu Cui, Wei Luo, Wenkang Jiang, Haomin Li, Junrong Xu, Xiaocui Liu, Bingyun Wang, Jinhui Wang, Guoqiang Chen
Abstract
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious neurological disorder with increasing worldwide incidence. Emerging evidence has shown a significant therapeutic role of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived exosomes on traumatic brain injury with broad application prospects as a cell-free therapy. However, a comprehensive understanding of its underlying mechanism remained elusive. In this study, umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs)-derived exosomes (UC-MSCs-Exo) were isolated by ultracentrifugation and injected intraventricularly in a rat model of TBI. Our results showed that UC-MSCs-Exo promoted functional recovery and reduced neuronal apoptosis in TBI rats. Moreover, UC-MSCs-Exo inhibited the activation of microglia and astrocytes during brain injury, thereby promoting functional recovery. However, the effect of UC-MSCs-Exo on the content of plasma inflammatory factors in rats was not significant. Collectively our study suggested that UC-MSCs-Exo promotes the recovery of neurological function in TBI rats by inhibiting the activation of microglia and astrocytes, providing a theoretical basis for new therapeutic strategies for central nervous system diseases.