Extracellular vesicles from hypoxia-pretreated adipose-derived stem cells regulate hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced human dermal microvascular endothelial apoptosis and autophagy in vitro

M M Yinhua Zhao; M M Yanyu Shi; Huang Lin

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13315

Extracellular vesicles from hypoxia-pretreated adipose-derived stem cells regulate hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced human dermal microvascular endothelial apoptosis and autophagy in vitro

Heliyon. 2023 Jan 29;9(2):e13315. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13315. eCollection 2023 Feb.

Authors

M M Yinhua Zhao¹, M M Yanyu Shi^{1

2}, Huang Lin¹

Affiliations

¹ Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100029, China.
² Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Beijing Luhe Hospital, Capital Medical University, Tongzhou District, Beijing, 101149, China.

Abstract

Recent studies suggest hypoxia can promote adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) to attenuate hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced damage to human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMECs). Extracellular vesicles (EVs), isolated from ADSCs, play an-important role in the fields of regenerative medicine. Here, we aimed to investigate the effect of EVs isolated from hypoxia-pretreated ADSCs (ADSC-EVs[H]) on HDMECs to attenuate ischemia/reperfusion injury of free skin flaps. First, we characterized EVs isolated from normoxia-cultured ADSCs (ADSC-EVs[N]) and ADSC-EVs(H). Experimental data indicated that EVs isolated from ADSCs consisted of lipid-bilayer vesicles that exhibited positive expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and marker proteins CD9, CD63 and CD81, and the mean particle size of EVs in the hypoxia-pretreated ADSCs (ADSC[H]) group was smaller (74.17 nm) than in the normoxic-cultured ADSCs (ADSC[N]) group (93.87 nm). Hypoxic pretreatment increased the number of EVs. Later, we favorably constructed the co-culture model of EVs isolated from ADSCs (ADSC-EVs) and H/R-induced HDMECs. Cell counting kit-8, Ethynyldeoxyuridine assay, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining showed that ADSC-EVs(H) promoted the survival of HDMECs and increased LC3 level. Apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) assays revealed that ADSC-EVs(H) reduced the apoptosis rate and ROS accumulation and increased MMP level in HDMECs, indicating that ADSC-EVs(H) effectively attenuated H/R-induced damage in HDMECs through autophagy activation and the-inhibition of apoptosis and oxidative stress. This study confirmed that ADSC-EVs(H) could effectively regulate the proliferation, apoptosis, oxidative stress, and autophagy expression of H/R-induced HDMECs in vitro, and therefore the transplantation of ADSC-EVs(H) may provide novel insights for the transplantation of free skin flaps.

Keywords: Adipose-derived stem cells; Apoptosis and autophagy; Extracellular vesicles; Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells; Hypoxia-pretreated; Hypoxia/reoxygenation.