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Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells alleviate oxidative stress-induced islet impairment via the Nrf2/HO-1 axis
Peng Liu1,† , Baige Cao2,† , Yang Zhou3 , Huina Zhang4 , Congrong Wang2,*
1Shanghai Diabetes Institute, Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Diabetes Mellitus, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200233, China
2Department of Endocrinology & Metabolism, Shanghai Fourth People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200434, China
3Translational Medical Center for Stem Cell Therapy, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
4Stem Cell Translational Research Center, Tongji Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200065, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work
*Correspondence to:Congrong Wang , Email:crwang@tongji.edu.cn
J Mol Cell Biol, Volume 15, Issue 5, May 2023, mjad035,  https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjad035
Keyword:  type 1 diabetes, β-cell protection, mesenchymal stem cells, oxidative stress, Nrf2

Hyperglycaemia-induced oxidative stress may disrupt insulin secretion and β-cell survival in diabetes mellitus by overproducing reactive oxygen species. Human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUC-MSCs) exhibit antioxidant properties. However, the mechanisms by which hUC-MSCs protect β-cells from high glucose-induced oxidative stress remain underexplored. In this study, we showed that intravenously injected hUC-MSCs engrafted into the injured pancreas and promoted pancreatic β-cell function in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The in vitro study revealed that hUC-MSCs attenuated high glucose-induced oxidative stress and prevented β-cell impairment via the Nrf2/HO-1 signalling pathway. Nrf2 knockdown partially blocked the anti-oxidative effect of hUC-MSCs, resulting in β-cell decompensation in a high-glucose environment. Overall, these findings provide novel insights into how hUC-MSCs protect β-cells from high glucose-induced oxidative stress.


Volume 15, Issue 5
May 2023