Spinal cord injury (SCI) may lead to severe motor and sensory dysfunction, causing high mortality and disability rates. Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADSCs), especially hypoxia-pretreated ADSCs, represent an effective therapy for SCI by promoting the secretion of exosomes (Exos). Here, we investigated the therapeutic efficacy of exosomes secreted by ADSCs under hypoxia (HExos) and explored potential target molecules. We utilized nanoparticle tracking analysis, electron microscopy, qRT-PCR, and western blotting to analyze differences between HExos and Exos groups. The expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) was examined by high-throughput sequencing. The therapeutic effects of different Exos treatments were compared in vitro and in an SCI model in vivo. The interaction between lncRNAs, microRNAs, and mRNA was examined by luciferase reporter experiments. We employed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunofluorescence to measure inflammatory factor expression and microglial polarization. The results showed that HExos was more effective than Exos for repairing SCI by suppressing inflammatory factor expression, promoting functional recovery, and shifting microglia from M1 to M2 polarization. High-throughput sequencing showed that LncGm37494 expression was significantly higher in HExos than Exos, and its upregulation promoted microglial M1/M2 polarization by inhibiting miR-130b-3p and promoting PPARγ expression, as shown by luciferase reporter experiments. Exos from lncGm37494 overexpressing ADSCs showed a similar therapeutic effect than HExos. The results indicated that HExos repair SCI by delivering lncGm37494, advising that lncGm3749 functions importantly in microenvironmental regulation and shows possibility for SCI treatments.
Keywords: adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (ADSCs); lncGm37494; miR-130b-3p; microglial; spinal cord injury.