International Journal of Nanomedicine (Feb 2021)

Interleukin-1β-Treated Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit Inflammation in Hippocampal Astrocytes Through Exosome-Activated Nrf-2 Signaling

  • Liu K,
  • Cai GL,
  • Zhuang Z,
  • Pei SY,
  • Xu SN,
  • Wang YN,
  • Wang H,
  • Wang X,
  • Cui C,
  • Sun MC,
  • Guo SH,
  • Jia KP,
  • Wang XZ,
  • Cai GF

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 16
pp. 1423 – 1434

Abstract

Read online

Kai Liu,1,* Guo-Liang Cai,2,3 Zhe Zhuang,4,* Si-Ying Pei,1 Sheng-Nan Xu,5 Ya-Nan Wang,1 Hong Wang,1 Xin Wang,1 Cheng Cui,5 Man-Chao Sun,5 Si-Hui Guo,5 Kun-Ping Jia,1 Xiu-Zhen Wang,1 Guo-Feng Cai1 1Hanan Branch of Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China; 2Postdoctoral Research Workstation of Harbin Sport University, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Sport Science and Health, Harbin Sport University, Harbin, 150008, People’s Republic of China; 4Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China; 5Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Guo-Feng CaiHanan Branch of Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Harbin, 150001, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail [email protected]: Interleukin-1β (IL-1)-treated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and IL-1-MSCs-conditioned medium (CM) exert anti-inflammatory roles. Astrocytes are essential for the modulation of synaptic activity and neuronal homeostasis in the brain. Exosomes are the critical mediators in intercellular communication. However, the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effect of IL-1-treated MSCs remains unknown.Methods: In this study, exosomes (IL-1-Exo) were isolated from IL-1-treated MSCs. In addition, lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated hippocampal astrocytes and status epilepticus (SE) mice were treated with IL-1-Exo. Inflammatory activity, astrogliosis, and cognitive performance were measured to determine the effect of IL-1-Exo on inflammation.Results: The results revealed that IL-1-Exo significantly inhibited LPS-induced astrogliosis and inflammatory responses of astrocytes. Also, IL-1-Exo reversed the LPS-induced effect on calcium signaling. The Nrf2 signaling pathway was associated with the effect of IL-1-Exo in LPS-treated astrocytes. Furthermore, IL-1-Exo reduced the inflammatory response and improved the cognitive performance of SE mice.Conclusion: The results suggest that IL-1-Exo inhibited LPS-induced inflammatory responses in astrocytes and SE mice and that the effect of IL-1-Exo was primarily mediated through the Nrf-2 signaling pathway. This study provides a new understanding of the molecular mechanism of inflammation-associated brain diseases and an avenue to develop nanotherapeutic agents for the treatment of inflammatory conditions in the brain.Keywords: mesenchymal stem cells, interleukin-1β, exosome, astrocyte, inflammation, Nrf-2

Keywords