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Bronchoalveolar Lavage Exosomes in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Septic Lung Injury
Published on: May 21, 2018
"Good things come in small packages": application of exosome-based therapeutics in neonatal lung injury
Gareth R Willis1, S Alex Mitsialis1, Stella Kourembanas1
1Division of Newborn Medicine and Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Insights
Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) exosomes show promise for treating neonatal lung injury, a critical issue in preterm infants. Further research is needed to overcome challenges and bring these stem cell-derived therapies to the clinic.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Pulmonology
Background:
- Infants born at very low gestational age face high rates of neonatal morbidity and mortality.
- Despite advances like antenatal steroids and surfactant therapy, cardiopulmonary and neurological impairments remain significant challenges for neonatal intensive care unit survivors.
- There is an urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies to prevent and treat complications associated with extreme preterm birth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the development and significance of stem cell-based therapies for neonatal diseases, particularly focusing on preclinical models of neonatal lung injury.
- To highlight the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC) secretomes, specifically MSC-derived exosomes.
- To discuss the challenges associated with translating MSC exosome-based therapeutics into clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Review of preclinical studies on mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based therapies for neonatal lung injury.
- Analysis of research focusing on the therapeutic role of MSC secretomes and exosomes.
- Examination of the current landscape and future prospects of MSC exosome therapeutics in neonatology.
Main Results:
- Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based approaches have demonstrated significant promise in experimental models of neonatal lung injury.
- The therapeutic effects of MSCs are largely mediated by their secretome, with exosomes identified as key therapeutic vectors.
- MSC-derived exosomes represent a promising cell-free therapeutic strategy for neonatal lung injury.
Conclusions:
- MSC exosome-based therapeutics offer a novel and potentially effective approach for managing neonatal lung injury and other complications of extreme preterm birth.
- Translating these promising preclinical findings into safe and effective clinical interventions requires addressing several challenges.
- Further research and development are crucial to realize the full clinical potential of MSC exosome therapy in neonatology.
Abstract:
Infants born at very low gestational age contribute disproportionately to neonatal morbidity and mortality. Advancements in antenatal steroid therapies and surfactant replacement have favored the survival of infants with ever-more immature lungs. Despite such advances in medical care, cardiopulmonary and neurological impairment prevail in constituting the major adverse outcomes for neonatal intensive care unit survivors. With no single effective therapy for either the prevention or treatment of such neonatal disorders, the need for new tools to treat and reduce risk of further complications associated with extreme preterm birth is urgent. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell (MSC)-based approaches have shown promise in numerous experimental models of lung injury relevant to neonatology. Recent studies have highlighted that the therapeutic potential of MSCs is harnessed in their secretome, and that the therapeutic vector therein is represented by the exosomes released by MSCs. In this review, we summarize the development and significance of stem cell-based therapies for neonatal diseases, focusing on preclinical models of neonatal lung injury. We emphasize the development of MSC exosome-based therapeutics and comment on the challenges in bringing these promising interventions to clinic.
