Urine-derived stem cell extracellular vesicles promote recovery from acute kidney injury in mice and human kidney organoids

Urine-derived stem cell extracellular vesicles (USC-EVs) increased proliferation while lowering apoptosis and lipid peroxidation in human kidney cells and organoids treated with toxic chemotherapy. In the acute kidney injury (AKI) model mice, we found lowered inflammation, tubular dilation, casts, and kidney injury marker neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) with USC-EV treatment. The USC-EVs carry microRNA cargo that bioinformatic tools predict will affect multiple pathways, including the MAPK cascade. Altogether, our results suggest that USC-EVs may improve recovery from AKI.