Enhancement of endothelial function and attenuation of portal vein injury using mesenchymal stem cells carrying miRNA-25-3p

Abstract The aims of this study were to determine whether human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) modified by miRNA-25-3p (miR-25-3p) overexpression could promote venous endothelial cell proliferation and attenuate portal endothelial cell injury. HucMSCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were isolated and cultured from human umbilical cord and characterized. Lentiviral vectors expressing miRNA-25-3p were transfected into hucMSCs and confirmed by PCR. We verified the effect of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs on HUVEC by cell co-culture and cell supernatant experiments. Subsequently, exosomes of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs were isolated from cell culture supernatants and characterized by WB, NTA and TEM. We verified the effects of miR-25-3p-modified exosomes derived from hucMSCs on HUVEC proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis by in vitro cellular function experiments. Meanwhile, we further examined the downstream target genes and signaling pathways potentially affected by miR-25-3p-modified hucMSC-derived exosomes in HUVEC. Finally, we established a rat portal vein venous thrombosis model by injecting CM-DiR-labeled hucMSCs intravenously into rats and examining the homing of cells in the portal vein by fluorescence microscopy. Histological and immunohistochemical experiments were used to examine the effects of miRNA-25-3p-modified hucMSCs on the proliferation and damage of portal vein endothelial cells. Primary hucMSCs and HUVECs were successfully isolated, cultured and characterized. Primary hucMSCs were modified with a lentiviral vector carrying miR-25-3p at MOI 80. Co-culture and cell supernatant intervention experiments showed that overexpression of miRNA-25-3p in hucMSCs enhanced HUVEC proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. We successfully isolated and characterized exosomes of miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs, and exosome intervention experiments demonstrated that miR-25-3p-modified exosomes derived from hucMSCs similarly enhanced the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HUVECs. Subsequent PCR and WB analyses indicated PTEN/KLF4/AKT/ERK1/2 as potential pathways of action. Analysis in a rat portal vein thrombosis model showed that miR-25-3p-modified hucMSCs could homing to damaged portal veins. Subsequent histological and immunohistochemical examinations demonstrated that intervention with miR-25-3p overexpression-modified hucMSCs significantly reduced damage and attenuated thrombosis in rat portal veins. The above findings indicate suggest that hucMSCs based on miR-25-3p modification may be a promising therapeutic approach for use in venous thrombotic diseases.