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Journal of Hematology & Oncology
Published in: Journal of Hematology & Oncology 1/2022

Open Access 01-12-2022 | Graft-Versus-Host Disease | Research

hUC-EVs-ATO reduce the severity of acute GVHD by resetting inflammatory macrophages toward the M2 phenotype

Authors: Yan Su, Xueyan Sun, Xiao Liu, Qingyuan Qu, Liping Yang, Qi Chen, Fengqi Liu, Yueying Li, Qianfei Wang, Bo Huang, Xiao-Jun Huang, Xiao-Hui Zhang

Published in: Journal of Hematology & Oncology | Issue 1/2022

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Abstract

Background

Both extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stromal cell-derived human umbilical cords (hUC-EVs) and arsenic trioxides (ATOs) have been demonstrated to treat acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) via immunomodulation. Apart from immunomodulation, hUC-EVs have a unique function of drug delivery, which has been proposed to enhance their efficacy. In this study, we first prepared ATO-loaded hUC-EVs (hUC-EVs-ATO) to investigate the therapeutic effect and potential mechanisms of hUC-EVs-ATO in a mouse model of aGVHD after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods

An aGVHD model was established to observe the therapeutic effects of hUC-EVs-ATO on aGVHD. Target organs were harvested for histopathological analysis on day 14 after transplantation. The effects of hUC-EVs-ATO on alloreactive CD4+ were evaluated by flow cytometry in vivo and in vitro. Flow cytometry, RT-PCR, immunofluorescence colocalization analysis and Western blot (Wb) analysis were performed to examine macrophage polarization after hUC-EV-ATO treatment. The cytokines in serum were measured by a cytometric bead array (CBA). TEM, confocal microscopy and Wb were performed to observe the level of autophagy in macrophages. A graft-versus-lymphoma (GVL) mouse model was established to observe the role of hUC-EVs-ATO in the GVL effect.

Results

The clinical manifestations and histological scores of aGVHD in the hUC-EVs-ATO group were significantly reduced compared with those in the ATO and hUC-EVs groups. The mice receiving hUC-EVs-ATO lived longer than the control mice. Notably, hUC-EVs-ATO interfering with alloreactive CD4+ T cells differentiation were observed in aGVHD mice but not in an in vitro culture system. Additional studies showed that depletion of macrophages blocked the therapeutic effects of hUC-EVs-ATO on aGVHD. Mechanistically, hUC-EVs-ATO induced autophagic flux by inhibiting mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) activity to repolarize M1 to M2 macrophages. Additionally, using a murine model of GVL effects, hUC-EVs-ATO were found not only to reduce the severity of aGVHD but also to preserve the GVL effects. Taken together, hUC-EVs-ATO may be promising candidates for aGVHD treatment.

Conclusions

hUC-EVs-ATO enhanced the alleviation of aGVHD severity in mice compared with ATO and hUC-EVs without weakening GVL activity. hUC-EVs-ATO promoted M1 to M2 polarization via the mTOR-autophagy pathway. hUC-EVs-ATO could be a potential therapeutic approach in aGVHD after allo-HSCT.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
hUC-EVs-ATO reduce the severity of acute GVHD by resetting inflammatory macrophages toward the M2 phenotype
Authors
Yan Su
Xueyan Sun
Xiao Liu
Qingyuan Qu
Liping Yang
Qi Chen
Fengqi Liu
Yueying Li
Qianfei Wang
Bo Huang
Xiao-Jun Huang
Xiao-Hui Zhang
Publication date
01-12-2022
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Journal of Hematology & Oncology / Issue 1/2022
Electronic ISSN: 1756-8722
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13045-022-01315-2

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