Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells

Abstract Fibrosis is a disease that negatively affects liver regeneration, resulting in severe complications after liver surgery. However, there is still no clinically effective treatment for promoting fibrotic liver regeneration because the underlying hepatocellular mechanism remains poorly underst...

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Main Authors: Jiebin Zhang, Xiaotong Qiu, Yunguo Lei, Haitian Chen, Dongwei Wu, Tingting Wang, Xin Sui, Jiaqi Xiao, Chenhao Jiang, Huayao Zhang, Yasong Liu, Xiaoquan Liu, Yingcai Zhang, Xu Che, Ye Lin, Jia Yao, Zihao Pan, Rong Li, Jun Zheng
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2025-03-01
Series:Experimental and Molecular Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01413-4
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author Jiebin Zhang
Xiaotong Qiu
Yunguo Lei
Haitian Chen
Dongwei Wu
Tingting Wang
Xin Sui
Jiaqi Xiao
Chenhao Jiang
Huayao Zhang
Yasong Liu
Xiaoquan Liu
Yingcai Zhang
Xu Che
Ye Lin
Jia Yao
Zihao Pan
Rong Li
Jun Zheng
author_facet Jiebin Zhang
Xiaotong Qiu
Yunguo Lei
Haitian Chen
Dongwei Wu
Tingting Wang
Xin Sui
Jiaqi Xiao
Chenhao Jiang
Huayao Zhang
Yasong Liu
Xiaoquan Liu
Yingcai Zhang
Xu Che
Ye Lin
Jia Yao
Zihao Pan
Rong Li
Jun Zheng
author_sort Jiebin Zhang
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Fibrosis is a disease that negatively affects liver regeneration, resulting in severe complications after liver surgery. However, there is still no clinically effective treatment for promoting fibrotic liver regeneration because the underlying hepatocellular mechanism remains poorly understood. Through microRNA microarrays combined with the application of AAV6, we found that high expression of miR-181a-5p in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) suppressed the expression of hepatic growth factor (HGF) and partially contributed to impaired regeneration potential in mice with hepatic fibrosis that had undergone two-thirds partial hepatectomy. As nanotherapeutics, mesenchymal stem-cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have been verified as effective treatments for liver regeneration. Here we observe that MSC-EVs can also promote fibrotic liver regeneration via enriched lncEEF1G, which acts as a competing endogenous RNA to directly sponge miR-181a-5p, leading to the upregulated expression of HGF in HSCs. Finally, engineered MSC-EVs with high expression of lncEEF1G (lncEEF1GOE-EVs) were constructed, suggesting greater potential for this model. In summary, our findings indicate that lncEEF1GOE-EVs have a nanotherapeutic effect on promoting regeneration of fibrotic livers by modulating the miR-181a-5p/HGF pathway in HSCs, which highlights the potential of extracellular vesicle engineering technology for patients with hepatic fibrosis who have undergone hepatic surgery. Engineered mesenchymal stem cells that overexpress lncEEF1G can secrete extracellular vesicles that are rich in lncEEF1G (lncEEF1GOE-EVs). Upon injection of lncEEF1GOE-EVs into a fibrotic 70% partial hepatectomy mouse model, lncEEF1G competitively binds to miR-181a-5p in hepatic stellate cells, preventing the interaction between miR-181a-5p and the messenger RNA of hepatocyte growth factor. This consequently leads to an increase in the secretion of hepatocyte growth factor and the promotion of hepatocyte proliferation.
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spelling doaj-art-a4feb24b92a44f6ab49c5d3a99a94ea12025-08-20T02:25:36ZengNature Publishing GroupExperimental and Molecular Medicine2092-64132025-03-0157358460010.1038/s12276-025-01413-4Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cellsJiebin Zhang0Xiaotong Qiu1Yunguo Lei2Haitian Chen3Dongwei Wu4Tingting Wang5Xin Sui6Jiaqi Xiao7Chenhao Jiang8Huayao Zhang9Yasong Liu10Xiaoquan Liu11Yingcai Zhang12Xu Che13Ye Lin14Jia Yao15Zihao Pan16Rong Li17Jun Zheng18Department of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineSurgical ICU, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineShaoguan Maternal and Child Health HospitalDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Infectious Diseases, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital and Shenzhen Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeDepartment of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical UniversityDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineDepartment of General Surgery, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Southern Medical UniversityGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Liver Disease Research, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen UniversityDepartment of Hepatic Surgery and Liver Transplantation Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University; Organ Transplantation Research Center of Guangdong Province, Guangdong Province Engineering Laboratory for Transplantation MedicineAbstract Fibrosis is a disease that negatively affects liver regeneration, resulting in severe complications after liver surgery. However, there is still no clinically effective treatment for promoting fibrotic liver regeneration because the underlying hepatocellular mechanism remains poorly understood. Through microRNA microarrays combined with the application of AAV6, we found that high expression of miR-181a-5p in activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) suppressed the expression of hepatic growth factor (HGF) and partially contributed to impaired regeneration potential in mice with hepatic fibrosis that had undergone two-thirds partial hepatectomy. As nanotherapeutics, mesenchymal stem-cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have been verified as effective treatments for liver regeneration. Here we observe that MSC-EVs can also promote fibrotic liver regeneration via enriched lncEEF1G, which acts as a competing endogenous RNA to directly sponge miR-181a-5p, leading to the upregulated expression of HGF in HSCs. Finally, engineered MSC-EVs with high expression of lncEEF1G (lncEEF1GOE-EVs) were constructed, suggesting greater potential for this model. In summary, our findings indicate that lncEEF1GOE-EVs have a nanotherapeutic effect on promoting regeneration of fibrotic livers by modulating the miR-181a-5p/HGF pathway in HSCs, which highlights the potential of extracellular vesicle engineering technology for patients with hepatic fibrosis who have undergone hepatic surgery. Engineered mesenchymal stem cells that overexpress lncEEF1G can secrete extracellular vesicles that are rich in lncEEF1G (lncEEF1GOE-EVs). Upon injection of lncEEF1GOE-EVs into a fibrotic 70% partial hepatectomy mouse model, lncEEF1G competitively binds to miR-181a-5p in hepatic stellate cells, preventing the interaction between miR-181a-5p and the messenger RNA of hepatocyte growth factor. This consequently leads to an increase in the secretion of hepatocyte growth factor and the promotion of hepatocyte proliferation.https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01413-4
spellingShingle Jiebin Zhang
Xiaotong Qiu
Yunguo Lei
Haitian Chen
Dongwei Wu
Tingting Wang
Xin Sui
Jiaqi Xiao
Chenhao Jiang
Huayao Zhang
Yasong Liu
Xiaoquan Liu
Yingcai Zhang
Xu Che
Ye Lin
Jia Yao
Zihao Pan
Rong Li
Jun Zheng
Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
Experimental and Molecular Medicine
title Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
title_full Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
title_fullStr Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
title_full_unstemmed Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
title_short Engineered EVs from LncEEF1G - overexpressing MSCs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating HGF release from hepatic stellate cells
title_sort engineered evs from lnceef1g overexpressing mscs promote fibrotic liver regeneration by upregulating hgf release from hepatic stellate cells
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01413-4
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