Aim: The therapeutic potential of adipose-derived stem cell conditioned medium (ASC-CM) was studied in the rabbit model of critical limb ischemia (CLI).
Methods: Rabbits received treatment with ASC-CM or placebo. Gastrocnemius muscle tissue was collected 35 days after ischemia induction. Ischemic changes were evaluated in hematoxylin-eosin stained tissues for early (necrotic lesions/granulation tissue) and late (fibrous scars) phases of tissue repair. The expression of proangiogenic miR-126 was also evaluated using in situ hybridization. The levels of cytokines, insulin, and C-peptide were measured in blood.
Results: Early repair phases were observed more often in placebo-treated samples (45.5%) than in ASC-CM-treated ones (22.2%). However, the difference was not statistically significant. We demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation between the early healing phases in tissue samples and C-peptide levels in peripheral blood. The expression of proangiogenic miR-126 was also shown in a number of structures in all phases of ischemic tissue healing.
Conclusion: Based on our results, we believe that treatment with ASC-CM has the potential to accelerate the healing process in ischemic tissues in the rabbit model of CLI. The whole healing process was accompanied by miR-126 tissue expression. C-peptide could be used to monitor the course of the tissue healing process.
Keywords: C-peptide; critical limb ischemia; cytokines; mesenchymal stem cells; miR-126; tissue healing.