Therapeutic potential of urine-derived stem cells in renal regeneration following acute kidney injury: A comparative analysis with mesenchymal stem cells
Fang Li, Bin Zhao, Lei Zhang, Guo-Qing Chen, Li Zhu, Xiao-Ling Feng, Meng-Jia Gong, Cheng-Chen Hu, Yuan-Yuan Zhang, Ming Li, Yong-Qiang Liu
{"title":"Therapeutic potential of urine-derived stem cells in renal regeneration following acute kidney injury: A comparative analysis with mesenchymal stem cells","authors":"Fang Li, Bin Zhao, Lei Zhang, Guo-Qing Chen, Li Zhu, Xiao-Ling Feng, Meng-Jia Gong, Cheng-Chen Hu, Yuan-Yuan Zhang, Ming Li, Yong-Qiang Liu","doi":"10.4252/wjsc.v16.i5.525","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"BACKGROUND\n Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical syndrome with high morbidity and mortality rates. The use of pluripotent stem cells holds great promise for the treatment of AKI. Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are a novel and versatile cell source in cell-based therapy and regenerative medicine that provide advantages of a noninvasive, simple, and low-cost approach and are induced with high multidifferentiation potential. Whether these cells could serve as a potential stem cell source for the treatment of AKI has not been determined.\n AIM\n To investigate whether USCs can serve as a potential stem cell source to improve renal function and histological structure after experimental AKI.\n METHODS\n Stem cell markers with multidifferentiation potential were isolated from human amniotic fluid. AKI severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice models were induced by means of an intramuscular injection with glycerol. USCs isolated from human-voided urine were administered via tail veins. The functional changes in the kidney were assessed by the levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. The histologic changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining. Meanwhile, we compared the regenerative potential of USCs with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).\n RESULTS\n Treatment with USCs significantly alleviated histological destruction and functional decline. The renal function was rapidly restored after intravenous injection of 5 × 105 human USCs into SCID mice with glycerol-induced AKI compared with injection of saline. Results from secretion assays conducted in vitro demonstrated that both stem cell varieties released a wide array of cytokines and growth factors. This suggests that a mixture of various mediators closely interacts with their biochemical functions. Two types of stem cells showed enhanced tubular cell proliferation and decreased tubular cell apoptosis, although USC treatment was not more effective than MSC treatment. We found that USC therapy significantly improved renal function and histological damage, inhibited inflammation and apoptosis processes in the kidney, and promoted tubular epithelial proliferation.\n CONCLUSION\n Our study demonstrated the potential of USCs for the treatment of AKI, representing a new clinical therapeutic strategy.","PeriodicalId":23775,"journal":{"name":"World journal of stem cells","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"World journal of stem cells","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4252/wjsc.v16.i5.525","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"CELL & TISSUE ENGINEERING","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common clinical syndrome with high morbidity and mortality rates. The use of pluripotent stem cells holds great promise for the treatment of AKI. Urine-derived stem cells (USCs) are a novel and versatile cell source in cell-based therapy and regenerative medicine that provide advantages of a noninvasive, simple, and low-cost approach and are induced with high multidifferentiation potential. Whether these cells could serve as a potential stem cell source for the treatment of AKI has not been determined.
AIM
To investigate whether USCs can serve as a potential stem cell source to improve renal function and histological structure after experimental AKI.
METHODS
Stem cell markers with multidifferentiation potential were isolated from human amniotic fluid. AKI severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) mice models were induced by means of an intramuscular injection with glycerol. USCs isolated from human-voided urine were administered via tail veins. The functional changes in the kidney were assessed by the levels of blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine. The histologic changes were evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin staining and transferase dUTP nick-end labeling staining. Meanwhile, we compared the regenerative potential of USCs with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs).
RESULTS
Treatment with USCs significantly alleviated histological destruction and functional decline. The renal function was rapidly restored after intravenous injection of 5 × 105 human USCs into SCID mice with glycerol-induced AKI compared with injection of saline. Results from secretion assays conducted in vitro demonstrated that both stem cell varieties released a wide array of cytokines and growth factors. This suggests that a mixture of various mediators closely interacts with their biochemical functions. Two types of stem cells showed enhanced tubular cell proliferation and decreased tubular cell apoptosis, although USC treatment was not more effective than MSC treatment. We found that USC therapy significantly improved renal function and histological damage, inhibited inflammation and apoptosis processes in the kidney, and promoted tubular epithelial proliferation.
CONCLUSION
Our study demonstrated the potential of USCs for the treatment of AKI, representing a new clinical therapeutic strategy.
期刊介绍:
The World Journal of Stem Cells (WJSC) is a leading academic journal devoted to reporting the latest, cutting-edge research progress and findings of basic research and clinical practice in the field of stem cells. It was launched on December 31, 2009 and is published monthly (12 issues annually) by BPG, the world''s leading professional clinical medical journal publishing company.