Exosomes Secreted from Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Are a Potential Treatment Agent for Immune-Mediated Alopecia.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Alopecia has become an exceedingly prevalent dermatological disorder. Etiologically, infection (bacterial and fungal infection), inflammation, and immune dysregulation are the main causes of immune-mediated hair loss. Treating hair loss has remained challenging as the available therapies are limited. Exosomes from adipose-derived stem cells (ADSC-Exos) have been used for treating neurodegenerative diseases and autoimmune diseases and in wound-healing treatments. However, the function and mechanism of ADSC-Exos in alopecia treatment remain unclear. This study is aimed at investigating the effects of ADSC-Exos on hair growth in vitro and in vivo for potentially treating immune-mediated alopecia and further exploring the underlying mechanism.

METHODS:

Cell proliferation, migration, and apoptosis of dermal papilla cells (DPCs) that were treated with ADSC-Exos were detected using the cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay, scratch wound-healing assay, and flow cytometry assay, respectively. A C57BL/6 hair-depilated mouse model was established in vivo; then, ADSC-Exos were subcutaneously injected alone or in combined with minoxidil. The effects of ADSC-Exos on hair growth, pathological changes, and the related mechanism were investigated by HE staining, quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), western blotting, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

RESULTS:

ADSC-Exos significantly promoted DPC proliferation and migration while also reducing apoptosis. In addition, compared with the control group, ADSC-Exos-treated mice had better hair growth, more hair follicles (HFs) and thicker dermis. RNA-seq revealed that the miR-22 and TNF-α signaling pathways were markedly downregulated in DPCs after ADSC-Exos treatment. In addition, according to qRT-PCR and western blotting results, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway was activated in the skin of ADSC-Exos-treated mice.

CONCLUSION:

ADSC-Exos therapy positively affected the promotion of hair regrowth by regulating miR-22, the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, and the TNF-α signaling pathway, implying that ADSC-Exos could be a promising cell-free therapeutic strategy for immune-mediated alopecia.

• Authors: Yanqiao Li, Guangxing Wang, Qian Wang, Yun Zhang, Lei Cui, Xin Huang
• Journal: Journal of immunology research (J Immunol Res) Vol. 2022 Pg. 7471246 ( 2022) ISSN: 2314-7156 [Electronic] Egypt
• PMID: 35155688 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Yanqiao Li et al.

Chemical References

• MicroRNAs
• Mirn22 microRNA, mouse
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Topics

• Adipose Tissue (pathology)
• Alopecia (immunology, metabolism)
• Animals
• Biological Therapy
• Cells, Cultured
• Disease Models, Animal
• Exosomes (metabolism)
• Hair (physiology)
• Humans
• Male
• Mesenchymal Stem Cells (metabolism)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• MicroRNAs (genetics)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Signal Transduction
• Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (metabolism)
• Wnt Signaling Pathway