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Updated: May 2, 2026
Bronchoalveolar Lavage Exosomes in Lipopolysaccharide-induced Septic Lung Injury
Published on: May 21, 2018
MSC-derived exosome ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis by modulating NOD 1/NLRP3-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal
Wei Chen1, Jie Peng1, Xiangyi Tang1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of University of South China, Hengyang, Hunan, China.
Background:
Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is an irreversible and usually fatal lung disease. In recent years, the therapeutic role of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-exos) in anti-fibrotic treatment has received much attention. In this study, we aimed to determine the anti-fibrotic properties and related molecular mechanisms of MSC-exos in Bleomycin(BLM)-induced PF.
Methods:
We used BLM-induced mice model of PF and in vitro model. MSC-exos were isolated from BMSCs cells using Exo Quick-TC kit and identified using conventional methods. Using cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) to detect cell viability. Classic molecular biology approaches such as RT-qPCR, Western blot, immunofluorescence, and ELISA were used to examine molecular pathways. Histopathological examination was performed using HE and Masson staining.
Results:
MSC-exos alleviated inflammation, inhibited epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and ameliorated PF. Further studies showed that MSC-exos regulated NOD1/NF-kB signaling pathway to suppress the activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes both in vivo and in vitro. Additionally, overexpression of NLRP3 significantly reversed the anti-fibrotic effects of MSC-exos in BLM-induced lung epithelial cells.
Conclusion:
MSC-derived exosome ameliorates pulmonary fibrosis by modulating NOD 1/NLRP3-mediated epithelial-mesenchymal transition and inflammation.
