A novel antifibrotic strategy utilizing conditioned media obtained from miR-150-transfected adipose-derived stem cells: validation of an animal model of liver fibrosis

Abstract

Regenerative medicine: Training stem cells to fix liver fibrosis A mixture of molecules produced by genetically modified stem cells could help repair the damage associated with liver fibrosis. Fat-derived adipose stem cells (ASCs) secrete proteins and nucleic acids that can facilitate tissue regeneration, but the natural mixture of molecules secreted (the ‘secretome’) is insufficient to reverse advanced fibrosis. Researchers led by Say-June Kim of the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea, have boosted the potency of this cell-derived treatment by engineering ASCs to produce an RNA called miR-150. This RNA inhibits biological processes that drive fibrosis. Experiments in cultured cells and a mouse model of fibrosis confirmed that miR-150 consistently improved the ASC secretome’s capacity to control liver fibrosis and minimize systemic inflammatory responses. This approach could thus offer a safe strategy for promoting tissue regeneration and preventing liver failure.