Cardiac Nestin+ Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Enhance Healing of Ischemic Heart through Periostin-Mediated M2 Macrophage Polarization.

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) show potential for treating cardiovascular diseases, but their therapeutic efficacy exhibits significant heterogeneity depending on the tissue of origin. This study sought to identify an optimal source of MSCs for cardiovascular disease therapy. We demonstrated that Nestin was a suitable marker for cardiac MSCs (Nes+cMSCs), which were identified by their self-renewal ability, tri-lineage differentiation potential, and expression of MSC markers. Furthermore, compared with bone marrow-derived MSCs (Nes+bmMSCs) or saline-treated myocardial infarction (MI) controls, intramyocardial injection of Nes+cMSCs significantly improved cardiac function and decreased infarct size after acute MI (AMI) through paracrine actions, rather than transdifferentiation into cardiac cells in infarcted heart. We further revealed that Nes+cMSC treatment notably reduced pan-macrophage infiltration while inducing macrophages toward an anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype in ischemic myocardium. Interestingly, Periostin, which was highly expressed in Nes+cMSCs, could promote the polarization of M2-subtype macrophages, and knockdown or neutralization of Periostin remarkably reduced the therapeutic effects of Nes+cMSCs by decreasing M2 macrophages at lesion sites. Thus, the present work systemically shows that Nes+cMSCs have greater efficacy than do Nes+bmMSCs for cardiac healing after AMI, and that this occurs at least partly through Periostin-mediated M2 macrophage polarization.

Cardiac Nestin+ Cells Derived from Early Stage of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Enhanced the Survival of the Doxorubicin-Injured Cardiac Muscle HL-1 Cells.

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), as one of the common cardiomyopathies, is a disease of the heart muscle; however, the etiology and pathogenesis of DCM were still poorly understood. Nestin has been reported a special marker of stem/progenitor cells in various tissues, and the tissue resident Nestin+ cells could promote the wound healing and tissue remodeling. However, it remains unclear whether Nestin+ cells participate in the protection of cardiomyocytes during the pathogenesis of DCM. Here the model of mice DCM was induced by doxorubicin (DOX) intraperitoneal injection and observed heart failure and ventricular enlargement via echocardiography and histologic analysis, respectively. During DCM pathogenesis, the number of Nestin+ cells showed a significant peak on day 6 after DOX treatment, which then gradually decreases to lower than normal levels after day 30 in the total population of the heart. Furthermore, we found that the isolated increased heart-derived Nestin+ cells are mesenchymal property and could protect DOX-induced HL-1 cells toxicity in vitro by promoting their proliferation and inhibiting their apoptosis. Collectively, our results showed that Nestin+ cells increased during DCM pathogenesis and played an important role in protecting against the DOX-induced HL-1 cells loss via regulating proliferation and apoptosis. Thus, the loss of Nestin+ cells might be an etiology to DCM pathogenesis, and these cells could be a promising candidate cell source for study and treatment of DCM patients.

Cardiac Derived CD51-Positive Mesenchymal Stem Cells Enhance the Cardiac Repair Through SCF-Mediated Angiogenesis in Mice With Myocardial Infarction.

Objective: Many tissues contained resident mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) that facilitated tissue hemostasis and repair. However, there is no typical marker to identify the resident cardiac MSCs. We aimed to determine if CD51 could be an optimal marker of cardiac MSCs and assess their therapeutic potential for mice with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods: Cardiac-derived CD51+CD31-CD45-Ter119- cells (named CD51+cMSCs) were isolated from C57BL/6 mice(7-day-old) by flow cytometry. The CD51+cMSCs were characterized by proliferation capacity, multi-differentiation potential, and expression of typical MSC-related markers. Adult C57BL/6 mice (12-week-old) were utilized for an AMI model via permanently ligating the left anterior descending coronary artery. The therapeutic efficacy of CD51+cMSCs was estimated by echocardiography and pathological staining. To determine the underlying mechanism, lentiviruses were utilized to knock down gene (stem cell factor [SCF]) expression of CD51+cMSCs. Results: In this study, CD51 was expressed in the entire layers of the cardiac wall in mice, including endocardium, epicardium, and myocardium, and its expression was decreased with age. Importantly, the CD51+cMSCs possessed potent self-renewal potential and multi-lineage differentiation capacity in vitro and also expressed typical MSC-related surface proteins. Furthermore, CD51+cMSC transplantation significantly improved cardiac function and attenuated cardiac fibrosis through pro-angiogenesis activity after myocardial infarction in mice. Moreover, SCF secreted by CD51+cMSCs played an important role in angiogenesis both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions: Collectively, CD51 is a novel marker of cardiac resident MSCs, and CD51+cMSC therapy enhances cardiac repair at least partly through SCF-mediated angiogenesis.

Bone-derived Nestin-positive mesenchymal stem cells improve cardiac function via recruiting cardiac endothelial cells after myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Bone-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation has been reported to be effective for the treatment of ischemic heart disease, but whether BMSCs are the optimal cell type remains under debate. Increasing numbers of studies have shown that Nestin, an intermediate filament protein, is a potential marker for MSCs, which raises the question of whether Nestin+ cells in BMSCs may play a more crucial role in myocardial repair. METHODS: Nestin+ cells were isolated using flow cytometry by gating for CD45- Ter119- CD31- cells from the compact bone of Nestin-GFP transgenic mice, expressing GFP driven by the Nestin promoter. Colony-forming and proliferative curve assays were conducted to determine the proliferative capacity of these cells, while qRT-PCR was used to analyze the mRNA levels of relative chemokines and growth factors. Cardiac endothelial cell (CEC) recruitment was assessed via a transwell assay. Moreover, permanent ligation of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery was performed to establish an acute myocardial infarction (AMI) mouse model. After cell transplantation, conventional echocardiography was conducted 1 and 4 weeks post-MI, and hearts were harvested for hematoxylin-and-eosin (HE) staining and immunofluorescence staining 1 week post-MI. Further evaluation of paracrine factor levels and administration of a neutralizing antibody (TIMP-1, TIMP-2, and CXCL12) or a CXCR4 antagonist (AMD3100) in MI hearts were performed to elucidate the mechanism involved in the chemotactic effect of Nestin+ BMSCs in vivo. RESULTS: Compared with Nestin- BMSCs, a greater proliferative capacity of Nestin+ BMSCs was observed, which further exhibited moderately high expression of chemokines instead of growth factors. More CEC recruitment in the Nestin+ BMSC-cocultured group was observed in vitro, while this effect was obviously abolished after treatment with neutralizing antibodies against TIMP-1, TIMP-2, or CXCL12, and more importantly, blocking the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis with a AMD3100 significantly reduced the chemotactic effect of Nestin+ BMSCs. After transplantation into mice exposed to myocardial infarction (MI), Nestin+ BMSC-treated mice showed significantly improved survival and left ventricular function compared with Nestin- BMSC-treated mice. Moreover, endogenous CECs were markedly increased, and chemokine levels were significantly higher, in the infarcted border zone with Nestin+ BMSC treatment. Meanwhile, neutralization of each TIMP-1, TIMP-2, or CXCL12 in vivo could reduce the left ventricular function at 1 and 4 weeks post-MI; importantly, the combined use of these three neutralizing antibodies could make a higher significance on cardiac function. Finally, blocking the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis with AMD3100 significantly reduced the left ventricular function and greatly inhibited Nestin+ BMSC-induced CEC chemotaxis in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Nestin+ BMSC transplantation can improve cardiac function in an AMI model by recruiting resident CECs to the infarcted border region via the CXCL12/CXCR4 chemokine pathway. And we demonstrated that Nestin+BMSC-secreted TIMP-1/2 enhances CXCL12(SDF1α)/CXCR4 axis-driven migration of endogenous Sca-1+ endothelial cells in ischemic heart post-AMI. Taken together, our results show that Nestin is a useful marker for the identification of functional BMSCs and indicate that Nestin+ BMSCs could be a better therapeutic candidate for cardiac repair.

Long noncoding RNA MRAK009713 is a novel regulator of neuropathic pain in rats.

Long noncoding RNAs have been implicated in neuropathy. Here, we identify and validate a long noncoding RNA, MRAK009713, as the primary regulator of neuropathic pain in chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats. MRAK009713 expression was markedly increased in CCI rats associated with enhanced pain behaviors, and small interfering RNA against MRAK009713 significantly reduced both mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in the CCI rats. MRAK009713 is predicted to interact with the nociceptive P2X3 receptor by CatRAPID, a bioinformatics technology. Overexpression of MRAK009713 markedly increased expression of P2X3 in the dorsal root ganglia of the control rats, and MRAK009713 small interfering RNA significantly inhibited the P2X3 expression in the dorsal root ganglia of the CCI rats. MRAK009713 directly interacted with the P2X3 protein heterologously expressed in the human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells and potentiated P2X3 receptor function. Thus, MRAK009713 is a novel positive regulator of neuropathic pain in rats through regulating the expression and function of the P2X3 receptor.

Effects of neferine on CCL5 and CCR5 expression in SCG of type 2 diabetic rats.

Chemokines and their receptors have the key role in inflammatory responses. The phenomenon of low grade inflammation is associated with the development of type 2 diabetes. Postprandial hyperglycemia increases the systemic inflammatory responses, which promotes the development of type 2 diabetic associating autonomic nervous injuries or cardiovascular disease. Neferine is a bisbenzylisoquinline alkaloid isolated from a Chinese medicinal herb. The objectives of this study will examine the CCL5 and CCR5 expression in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of type 2 diabetic rats. The effects of neferine on the expression of CCL5 and CCR5 mRNA and protein in the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) of type 2 diabetic rats will also be observed. The studies showed that in type 2 diabetic rats, body weight, blood pressure, heart rates, fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol and triglyceride were enhanced and high density lipoprotein was decreased, and CCL5 and CCR5 expression levels in the SCG of type 2 diabetic rats were up-regulated. In type 2 diabetic rats treated with neferine, body weight, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, insulin, total cholesterol and triglyceride were decreased and high density lipoprotein was increased. The elevated expressions of CCL5 and CCR5 in SCG were decreased after type 2 diabetic rats treated with neferine. The motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) in diabetic rats treated with neferine group showed a significantly increment in comparison with that in type 2 diabetic group. Neferine can decrease the expression of CCL5 and CCR5 in the SCG and reduce the SCG neuronal signaling mediated by CCL5 and CCR5 in regulating diabetic cardiovascular autonomic complications.