Functionally Enhanced Placenta-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Inhibit Adipogenesis in Orbital Fibroblasts With Graves’ Ophthalmopathy
June 2020
TLDR Enhanced stem cells from the placenta can reduce fat cell formation in eye disease.
The study investigated the effects of PRL-1-overexpressing placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PD-MSCs^PRL-1) on adipogenesis in orbital fibroblasts (OFs) from patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy (GO). It was found that PD-MSCs^PRL-1 significantly reduced lipid accumulation and decreased the expression of adipogenic markers in OFs compared to naïve PD-MSCs. This effect was linked to the downregulation of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway and the secretion of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) by PD-MSCs^PRL-1, which was mediated by integrins and led to increased phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (pFAK). The findings suggested that PD-MSC^PRL-1 could offer a novel therapeutic strategy for treating degenerative diseases by inhibiting adipogenesis in GO.
