Exosomes Secreted by Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Promote the Ability of Cell Proliferation and Migration for Keratinocyte

Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Apr 26;25(9):4758. doi: 10.3390/ijms25094758.

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from Wharton's jelly (WJ-MSCs) and adipose tissue (AD-MSCs) are alternative sources for bone marrow-derived MSCs. Owing to their multiple functions in angiogenesis, immune modulation, proliferation, migration, and nerve regeneration, MSC-derived exosomes can be applied in "cell-free cell therapy". Here, we investigated the functional protein components between the exosomes from WJ-MSCs and AD-MSCs to explain their distinct functions. Proteins of WJ-MSC and AD-MSC exosomes were collected and compared based on iTRAQ gel-free proteomics data. Results: In total, 1695 proteins were detected in exosomes. Of these, 315 were more abundant (>1.25-fold) in AD-MSC exosomes and 362 kept higher levels in WJ-MSC exosomes, including fibrinogen proteins. Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that WJ-MSC exosomes had higher potential for wound healing than AD-MSC exosomes. Therefore, we treated keratinocyte cells with exosomes and the recombinant protein of fibrinogen beta chain (FGB). It turned out that WJ-MSC exosomes better promoted keratinocyte growth and migration than AD-MSC exosomes. In addition, FGB treatment had similar results to WJ-MSC exosomes. The fact that WJ-MSC exosomes promoted keratinocyte growth and migration better than AD-MSC exosomes can be explained by their higher FGB abundance. Exploring the various components of AD-MSC and WJ-MSC exosomes can aid in their different clinical applications.

Keywords: Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cell; adipose tissue mesenchymal stem cell; exosome; fibrinogen beta chain; iTRAQ.

MeSH terms

  • Adipose Tissue / cytology
  • Adipose Tissue / metabolism
  • Cell Movement*
  • Cell Proliferation*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Exosomes* / metabolism
  • Fibrinogen / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Keratinocytes* / cytology
  • Keratinocytes* / metabolism
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / cytology
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Proteome / metabolism
  • Proteomics / methods
  • Wharton Jelly* / cytology
  • Wharton Jelly* / metabolism
  • Wound Healing

Substances

  • Fibrinogen
  • Proteome

Grants and funding

The publication of this article was funded by grants from Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital (CMRPG8J0291, CMRPG8J0292, CMRPG8J0293, and CMRPG8L1541) and the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan (MOST 111-2314-B-182-044).