Adipose Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Promote the Regeneration of Corneal Endothelium Through Ameliorating Senescence
Overview
Affiliations
Purpose: Human corneal endothelial cells (hCECs) have been considered unable to regenerate in vivo, resulting in corneal decompensation after significant loss of hCECs. adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ASC)-derived exosomes can regenerate tissues and organs. In this study, we investigated whether ASC-derived exosomes could protect and regenerate CECs.
Methods: We performed cell viability and cell-cycle analyses to evaluate the effect of ASC-derived exosomes on the regeneration capacity of cultured hCECs. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were used to induce biological stress in CECs. The effect of ASC-derived exosomes on CECs was investigated in vivo. ASC-derived exosomes were introduced into rat CECs using electroporation, and rat corneas were injured using cryoinjury. Next-generation sequencing analysis was performed to compare the differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) between ASC-derived and hCEC-derived exosomes.
Results: ASC-derived exosomes induced CEC proliferation and suppressed TGF-β- or H2O2-induced oxidative stress and senescence. ASC-derived exosomes protect hCECs against TGF-β- or H2O2-induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition and mitophagy. In an in vivo study, ASC-derived exosomes promoted wound healing of rat CECs and protected the corneal endothelium against cryoinjury-induced corneal endothelium damage. Next-generation sequencing analysis revealed differentially expressed miRNAs for ASC-derived and hCEC-derived exosomes. They are involved in lysine degradation, adherens junction, the TGF-β signaling pathway, the p53 signaling pathway, the Hippo signaling pathway, the forkhead box O (FoxO) signaling pathway, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, and RNA degradation based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis.
Conclusions: ASC-derived exosomes promoted wound healing and regeneration of endothelial cells by inducing a shift in the cell cycle and suppressing senescence and autophagy.
Regulatory Roles of Exosomes in Aging and Aging-Related Diseases.
Xiao N, Li Q, Liang G, Qian Z, Lin Y, Zhang H Biogerontology. 2025; 26(2):61.
PMID: 39966192 DOI: 10.1007/s10522-025-10200-7.
Biomedical Application of MSCs in Corneal Regeneration and Repair.
De Miguel M, Cadenas-Martin M, Stokking M, Martin-Gonzalez A Int J Mol Sci. 2025; 26(2).
PMID: 39859409 PMC: 11766311. DOI: 10.3390/ijms26020695.
Blanco-Agudin N, Ye S, Gonzalez-Fernandez S, Alcalde I, Merayo-Lloves J, Quiros L Biomedicines. 2025; 13(1).
PMID: 39857816 PMC: 11762739. DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines13010233.
Corneal Treatment, Repair, and Regeneration: Exosomes at Rescue.
Robbins B, Montreuil K, Kundu N, Kumar P, Agrahari V Pharmaceutics. 2024; 16(11).
PMID: 39598547 PMC: 11597686. DOI: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16111424.
Huang M, Liu Y, Zhang L, Wang S, Wang X, He Z Biomolecules. 2024; 14(11).
PMID: 39595531 PMC: 11592330. DOI: 10.3390/biom14111354.