• BMB Reports
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.318-323
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• 2019

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that present immunosuppressive effects in experimental and clinical trials targeting various rare diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). In addition, recent studies have reported tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (WRS) possesses uncanonical roles such as angiostatic and anti-inflammatory effects. However, little is known about the function of WRS in MSC-based therapy. In this study, we investigated if a novel factor, WRS, secreted from MSCs has a role in amelioration of IBD symptoms and determined a specific mechanism underlying MSC therapy. Experimental colitis was induced by administration of 3% DSS solution to 8-week-old mice and human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) were injected intraperitoneally. Secretion of WRS from hUCB-MSCs and direct effect of WRS on isolated $CD4^+$ T cells was determined via in vitro experiments and hUCB-MSCs showed significant therapeutic rescue against experimental colitis. Importantly, WRS level in serum of colitis induced mice decreased and recovered by administration of MSCs. Through in vitro examination, WRS expression of hUCB-MSCs increased when cells were treated with interferon-${\gamma}$ ($IFN-{\gamma}$). WRS was evaluated and revealed to have a role in inhibiting activated T cells by inducing apoptosis. In summary, $IFN-{\gamma}$-mediated secretion of WRS from MSCs has a role in suppressive effect on excessive inflammation and disease progression of IBD and brings new highlights in the immunomodulatory potency of hUCB-MSCs.

• BMB Reports
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• v.53 no.8
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• pp.400-412
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• 2020

The world has witnessed unimaginable damage from the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because the pandemic is growing rapidly, it is important to consider diverse treatment options to effectively treat people worldwide. Since the immune system is at the hub of the infection, it is essential to regulate the dynamic balance in order to prevent the overexaggerated immune responses that subsequently result in multiorgan damage. The use of stem cells as treatment options has gained tremendous momentum in the past decade. The revolutionary measures in science have brought to the world mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and MSC-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo) as therapeutic opportunities for various diseases. The MSCs and MSC-Exos have immunomodulatory functions; they can be used as therapy to strike a balance in the immune cells of patients with COVID-19. In this review, we discuss the basics of the cytokine storm in COVID-19, MSCs, and MSC-derived exosomes and the potential and stem-cell-based ongoing clinical trials for COVID-19.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.204-204
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• 2022

• 대한생식의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.173.1-173.1
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• 2006

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.267-272
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• 2006

Objective : There have been recent reports that mesenchymal stromal cells that are harvested from adipose tissue are able to differentiate into neurons. In the present study, we administered adipose tissue derived stem cells in rats with cerebral infarction in order to determine whether those stem cells could enhance the recovery of motor function. Methods : Cerebral infarction was induced by intraluminal occlusion of middle cerebral artery in rats. The adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells were harvested from inguinal fat pad and proliferated for 2 weeks in DMEM media. Approximately $1{\times}10^6$ cells were injected intravenously or into subdural space of the peri-lesional area. The rotor rod test was performed at preoperative state[before MCA occlusion], and 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 weeks after the cell therapy. Results : The motor functions that were assessed by rotor rod test at 1 week of the cell therapy were nearly zero among the experimental groups. However, there was apparent motor function recovery after 2 weeks and 4 weeks of cell injection in intravenously treated rats and peri-lesionaly treated rats, respectively, while there was no significant improvement till 8 weeks in vehicle treated rats. Conclusion : These results demonstrate that the adipose derived stem cell treatment improves motor function recovery in rats with cerebral infarction.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.5
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• pp.493-501
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• 2019

The generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from somatic cells using gene transfer opens new areas for precision medicine with personalized cell therapy and encourages the discovery of essential platforms for targeted drug development. iPSCs retain the genome of the donor, may regenerate indefinitely, and undergo differentiation into virtually any cell type of interest using a range of published protocols. There has been enormous interest among researchers regarding the application of iPSC technology to regenerative medicine and human disease modeling, in particular, modeling of neurologic diseases using patient-specific iPSCs. For instance, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, and spinal cord injuries may be treated with iPSC therapy or replacement tissues obtained from iPSCs. In this review, we discuss the work so far on generation and characterization of iPSCs and focus on recent advances in the use of human iPSCs in clinical setting.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.12
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• pp.702-707
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• 2015

To overcome the disadvantages of stem cell-based cell therapy like low cell survival at the disease site, we used stanniocalcin 2 (STC2), a family of secreted glycoprotein hormones that function to inhibit apoptosis and oxidative damage and to induce proliferation. STC2 gene was transfected into two kinds of stem cells to prolong cell survival and protect the cells from the damage by oxidative stress. The stem cells expressing STC2 exhibited increased cell viability and improved cell survival as well as elevated expression of the pluripotency and self-renewal markers (Oct4 and Nanog) under sub-lethal oxidative conditions. Up-regulation of CDK2 and CDK4 and down-regulation of cell cycle inhibitors p16 and p21 were observed after the delivery of STC2. Furthermore, STC2 transduction activated pAKT and pERK 1/2 signal pathways. Taken together, the STC2 can be used to enhance cell survival and maintain long-term stemness in therapeutic use of stem cells.

• BMB Reports
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• v.55 no.1
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• pp.30-38
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• 2022

Cardiovascular disease, especially ischemic heart disease, is a major cause of mortality worldwide. Cardiac repair is one of the most promising strategies to address advanced cardiovascular diseases. Despite moderate improvement in heart function via stem cell therapy, there is no evidence of significant improvement in mortality and morbidity beyond standard therapy. The most salutary effect of stem cell therapy are attributed to the paracrine effects and the stem cell-derived exosomes are known as a major contributor. Hence, exosomes are emerging as a promising therapeutic agent and potent biomarkers of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, they play a role as cellular cargo and facilitate intercellular communication. However, the clinical use of exosomes is hindered by the absence of a standard operating procedures for exosome isolation and characterization, problems related to yield, and heterogeneity. In addition, the successful clinical application of exosomes requires strategies to optimize cargo, improve targeted delivery, and reduce the elimination of exosomes. In this review, we discuss the basic concept of exosomes and stem cell-derived exosomes in cardiovascular disease, and introduce current efforts to overcome the limitations and maximize the benefit of exosomes including engineered biomimetic exosomes.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.651-659
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• 2020

Cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death across the world, and gold-standard treatments such as percutaneous coronary intervention and artery bypass grafting have various limitations including myocardial damage and subsequent maladaptive cardiac remodeling. To overcome this, stem-cell therapies are emerging as a promising strategy for cardiovascular regeneration. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) have high potential to proliferate and differentiate into endothelial cells for vascularization and tissue regeneration, and several clinical trials have explored EPC function in tissue repair in relation to clinical safety and improving cardiac function. Consequently, EPC has been suggested as a feasible stem-cell therapy. However, autologous EPC transplantation in cardiovascular disease patients is restricted by risk factors such as age, smoking status, and hypertension that lead to reduced bioactivity in the EPCs. New approaches for improving EPC function and stem-cell efficacy have therefore been suggested, including cell priming, organoid culture systems, and enhancing transplantation efficiency through 3D bioprinting methods. In this review, we provide a comprehensive understanding of EPC characteristics, therapeutic approaches, and the current state of clinical research into EPCs as stem-cell therapy for cardiovascular disease.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1238-1243
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• 2014

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been widely used as cellular therapeutic agents. They have their own characteristic stemness, and thus, they can be used in the treatment of many chronic diseases and in anticancer therapy. MSC therapy has many advantages over chemical therapy. MSC therapy is based on self or homogeneous origin; as such, it is expected to be effective in the treatment of various diseases. In addition, microRNAs in particular have been studied for their structure and function, and they are also expected to prove effective for use as therapeutic agents in cancer or chronic diseases. MicroRNAs are largely associated with metabolism and homeostasis. Therefore, over- or under-expression of microRNAs leads to chronic diseases. Conversely, effective control of the expression of specific microRNAs reduces the risk of many chronic diseases. However, there have been no reports thus far on the synergistic effects of MSCs and microRNAs. Therefore, in this study, we examined the relationship between MSCs and microRNAs using placenta-derived MSCs (PDSCs), bone marrow-derived MSCs (BM-MSCs), and fibroblast (WI-38) cells. We studied the expression of some microRNAs in MSCs and compared the expression in each cell line and cell passage. As a result, we found that the expression of microRNA-34a was higher in PDSCs than in BM-MSCs and that the expression of microRNA-27a, 33a, 33b, and 211 was higher in BM-MSCs than in PDSCs. Therefore, we expect that each MSC line will be used as cell therapy, considering its expressed functional microRNA.