Anti-Fibrotic Effect of Human Wharton's Jelly-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Skeletal Muscle Cells, Mediated by Secretion of MMP-1

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences 2020-08, Vol.21 (17), p.6269
• Main Authors: Choi, Alee, Park, Sang Eon, Jeong, Jang Bin, Choi, Suk-Joo, Oh, Soo-Young, Ryu, Gyu Ha, Lee, Jeehun, Jeon, Hong Bae, Chang, Jong Wook
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accumulation; Administration, Intravenous; Animals; Calcium; Cell Line; Chemical compounds; Dipeptides - pharmacology; Duchenne's muscular dystrophy; Dystrophin; Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - metabolism; Female; Fibrosis; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - adverse effects; Inflammation; Interstitial collagenase; Matrix metalloproteinase; Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 - metabolism; Matrix metalloproteinases; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation; Mesenchymal stem cells; Mesenchymal Stem Cells - metabolism; Metalloproteinase; Mice; Mice, Inbred mdx; Muscle Cells - drug effects; Muscle Cells - metabolism; Muscle, Skeletal - cytology; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - metabolism; Muscles; Muscular dystrophy; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne - metabolism; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne - pathology; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne - therapy; Musculoskeletal system; Myotubes; Oxidative stress; Paracrine signalling; Pharmacology; Pregnancy; Protein expression; Proteins; Skeletal muscle; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 - pharmacology; Treatment Outcome
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176269

Extracellular matrix (ECM) components play an important role in maintaining skeletal muscle function, but excessive accumulation of ECM components interferes with skeletal muscle regeneration after injury, eventually inducing fibrosis. Increased oxidative stress level caused by dystrophin deficiency is a key factor in fibrosis in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are considered a promising therapeutic agent for various diseases involving fibrosis. In particular, the paracrine factors secreted by MSCs play an important role in the therapeutic effects of MSCs. In this study, we investigated the effects of MSCs on skeletal muscle fibrosis. In 2-5-month-old mdx mice intravenously injected with 1 × 10 Wharton's jelly (WJ)-derived MSCs (WJ-MSCs), fibrosis intensity and accumulation of calcium/necrotic fibers were significantly decreased. To elucidate the mechanism of this effect, we verified the effect of WJ-MSCs in a hydrogen peroxide-induced fibrosis myotubes model. In addition, we demonstrated that matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), a paracrine factor, is critical for this anti-fibrotic effect of WJ-MSCs. These findings demonstrate that WJ-MSCs exert anti-fibrotic effects against skeletal muscle fibrosis, primarily via MMP-1, indicating a novel target for the treatment of muscle diseases, such as DMD.