Abstract 15925: Newt Exosomes are Bioactive on Mammalian Heart, Enhancing Proliferation of Rat Cardiomyocytes and Improving Recovery After Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: Adult newts can regenerate amputated cardiac tissue (and whole limbs) without fibrosis, unlike adult mammals which lack such regenerative capacity. Exosomes are nanoparticles which mediate intercellular communication and play a critical role in therapeutic regeneration. Hypothesis: We isolated exosomes from a newt mesodermal cell line, and evaluated their bioactivity in rat models. Methods: A1 cells, derived from the amputated limb buds of Notopthalmus viridescense (Brockes JP, 1988), were expanded in culture. Exosomes were isolated by polyethylene glycol precipitation of A1-conditioned serum-free media (or media conditioned by human dermal fibroblasts [DF] as a control) followed by centrifugation. Bioactivity was tested in vitro on neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM), and in vivo on acute myocardial infarction in Wistar-Kyoto rats (250μg or 500μg of A1-exosomes or vehicle [placebo] injected intramyocardially). Functional and histological analyses were performed 3 weeks after therapy. Results: A1-conditioned media yielded ~2.8±1Billion particles/ml of 129±1.1 nm diameter. In vitro, A1-exosomes increased the proliferative capacity of NRVM compared to DF-exosomes (4.98±0.89% vs 0.77±0.33%, p=0.035). Priming of DFs with A1-exosomes increased SDF-1 secretion compared to DF-exosomes (755±117pg/ml vs.368±21pg/ml, p=0.03). In vivo, both A1-exosome doses increased cardiac function compared to placebo (EF= 46±1% in 250μg, 49±4% in 500μg vs 36±1% in placebo, p=0.045 by ANOVA). Scar size was markedly decreased (11±1% in 250μg, 9±2% in 500μg vs 18±2% in placebo, p=0.006 by ANOVA), and infarct wall thickness was increased after A1-exosome treatment (1.7±0.11mm in 250μg, 1.85±0.16mm in 500μg vs 1.17±0.11mm in Placebo, p=0.01 by ANOVA). Donor-specific antibodies were present at barely detectable levels in the serum of animals that had been injected with A1-exosomes. Conclusions: Newt exosomes stimulate rat cardiomyocyte proliferation and improve functional and structural outcomes in rats with myocardial infarction. Characterization of the RNA and protein content of newt exosomes, now in progress, may provide clues regarding conserved (or newt-unique) molecular mediators of therapeutic benefit.