Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosome:The likely game-changer in stem cell research

Stem cell research is a promising area of transplantation and regenerative medicine with tremendous potential for improving the clinical treatment and diagnostic options across a variety of conditions and enhancing understanding of human development.Over the past few decades,mesenchymal stem cell(MSCs)studies have exponentially increased with a promising outcome.However,regardless of the huge investment and the research attention given to stem cell research,FDA approval for clinical use is still lacking.Amid the challenges confronting stem cell research as a cellbased product,there appears to be evidence of superior effect and heightened potential success in its expressed vesicles,exosomes,as cell-free products.In addition to their highly desirable intrinsic biologically unique structural,compositional,and morphological characteristics,as well as predominant physiochemical stability and biocompatibility properties,exosomes can also be altered to enhance their therapeutic capability or diagnostic imaging potential via physical,chemical,and biological modification approaches.More importantly,the powerful therapeutic potential and superior biological functions of exosomes,particularly,regarding engineered exosomes as cell-free products,and their utilization in a new generation of nanomedicine treatment,vaccination,and diagnosis platforms,brings hope of a change in the near future.This viewpoint discusses the trend of stem cell research and why stem cell-derived exosomes could be the game-changer.

Emerging role of protein modification in inflammatory bowel disease

The onset of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)involves many factors,including environmental parameters,microorganisms,and the immune system.Although research on IBD continues to expand,the specific pathogenesis mechanism is still unclear.Protein modification refers to chemical modification after protein biosynthesis,also known as post-translational modification(PTM),which causes changes in the properties and functions of proteins.Since proteins can be modified in different ways,such as acetylation,methylation,and phosphorylation,the functions of proteins in different modified states will also be different.Transitions between different states of protein or changes in modification sites can regulate protein properties and functions.Such modifications like neddylation,sumoylation,glycosylation,and acetylation can activate or inhibit various signaling pathways(e.g.,nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB),extracellular signal-regulated kinase(ERK),and protein kinase B(AKT))by changing the intestinal flora,regulating immune cells,modulating the release of cytokines such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and interferon-γ(IFN-γ),and ultimately leading to the maintenance of the stability of the intestinal epithelial barrier.In this review,we focus on the current understanding of PTM and describe its regulatory role in the pathogenesis of IBD.

HucMSC-Ex alleviates inflammatory bowel disease via the lnc78583-mediated miR3202/HOXB13 pathway

As a group of nonspecific inflammatory diseases affecting the intestine,inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)exhibits the characteristics of chronic recurring inflammation,and was proven to be increasing in incidence(Kaplan,2015).IBD induced by genetic background,environmental changes,immune functions,microbial composition,and toxin exposures(Sasson et al.,2021)primarily includes ulcerative colitis(UC)and Crohn's disease(CD)with complicated clinical symptoms featured by abdominal pain,diarrhea,and even blood in stools(Fan et al.,2021;Huang et al.,2021).