Exosomes derived from human urine-derived stem cells ameliorate IL-1β-induced intervertebral disk degeneration

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 537 - 14
• Main Authors: Qian, Guang, Yu, Yueming, Dong, Youhai, Hong, Yang, Wang, Minghai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 12.07.2024; BMC
• Subjects: Aggrecan; Aggrecans - genetics; Aggrecans - metabolism; Animals; Apoptosis; Cell growth; Cells, Cultured; Collagen (type II); Collagen Type II - metabolism; Cytotoxicity; Degeneration; Endoplasmic reticulum; Exosomes; Exosomes - metabolism; Female; Flow cytometry; Gene expression; Humans; IL-1β; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - metabolism; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - pathology; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration - therapy; Intervertebral discs; Male; Nucleus pulposus; Nucleus Pulposus - cytology; Nucleus Pulposus - drug effects; Nucleus Pulposus - metabolism; Nucleus Pulposus - pathology; Penicillin; Polymerase chain reaction; Senescence; SOX9 Transcription Factor - genetics; SOX9 Transcription Factor - metabolism; Stem cells; Stem Cells - metabolism; Transcriptomes; Urine; Urine - chemistry; Urine - cytology; Western blotting; Japan; Intervertebral disc degeneration; Exosomes; Apoptosis
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/s12891-024-07636-2

Human intervertebral disk degeneration (IVDD) is a sophisticated degenerative pathological process. A key cause of IVDD progression is nucleus pulposus cell (NPC) degeneration, which contributes to excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress in the intervertebral disk. However, the mechanisms underlying IVDD and NPC degeneration remain unclear. We used interleukin (IL)-1β stimulation to establish an NPC-degenerated IVDD model and investigated whether human urine-derived stem cell (USC) exosomes could prevent IL-1β-induced NPC degeneration using western blotting, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, and transcriptome sequencing techniques. We successfully extracted and identified USCs and exosomes from human urine. IL-1β substantially downregulated NPC viability and induced NPC degeneration while modulating the expression of SOX-9, collagen II, and aggrecan. Exosomes from USCs could rescue IL-1β-induced NPC degeneration and restore the expression levels of SOX-9, collagen II, and aggrecan. USC-derived exosomes can prevent NPCs from degeneration following IL-1β stimulation. This finding can aid the development of a potential treatment strategy for IVDD.