Thrombin priming promotes the neuroprotective effects of human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells via the HGF/Akt/STAT3 signaling pathway

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) directly differentiate into neurons and endothelial cells after transplantation, and their secretome has considerable potential for treating brain injuries. Previous studies have suggested that the effects of MSCs priming with exposure to hypoxia, cytokines, growth factors, or chemical agents could optimize the paracrine potency and therapeutic potential of MSCs. Studies have suggested that thrombin-primed Wharton's Jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (Th.WJ-MSCs) significantly enhance the neuroprotective beneficial effects of naïve MSCs in brain injury such as hypoxic–ischemic brain injury (HIE) and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). This study aimed to characterize WJ-MSCs in terms of stem cell markers, differentiation, cell proliferation, and paracrine factors by comparing naïve and Th.WJ-MSCs. We demonstrated that compared with naïve MSCs, Th.MSCs significantly enhanced the neuroprotective effects in vitro. Moreover, we identified differentially expressed proteins in the conditioned media of naïve and Th.WJ-MSCs by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry analysis. Secretome analysis of the conditioned medium of WJ-MSCs revealed that such neuroprotective effects were mediated by paracrine effects with secretomes of Th.WJ-MSCs, and hepatocyte growth factor was identified as a key paracrine mediator. These results can be applied further in the preclinical and clinical development of effective and safe cell therapeutics for brain injuries such as HIE and IVH.