Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-sourced secretome, defined as the set of MSC-derived bioactive factors (soluble proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and extracellular vesicles), showed therapeutic effects similar to those observed after transplantation of MSCs. MSC-derived secretome may bypass many side effects of MSC-based therapy, including unwanted differentiation of engrafted MSCs. In contrast to MSCs which had to be expanded in culture to reach optimal cell number for transplantation, MSC-sourced secretome is immediately available for treatment of acute conditions, including fulminant hepatitis, cerebral ischemia and myocardial infarction. Additionally, MSC-derived secretome could be massively produced from commercially available cell lines avoiding invasive cell collection procedure. In this review article we emphasized molecular and cellular mechanisms that were responsible for beneficial effects of MSC-derived secretomes in the treatment of degenerative and inflammatory diseases of hepatobiliary, respiratory, musculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and nervous system. Results obtained in a large number of studies suggested that administration of MSC-derived secretomes represents a new, cell-free therapeutic approach for attenuation of inflammatory and degenerative diseases. Therapeutic effects of MSC-sourced secretomes relied on their capacity to deliver genetic material, growth and immunomodulatory factors to the target cells enabling activation of anti-apoptotic and pro-survival pathways that resulted in tissue repair and regeneration.

BackgroundCisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum II, CDDP) is one of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents. However, its clinical use is limited due to the severe side effects, including nephrotoxicity and acute kidney injury (AKI) which develop due to renal accumulation and biotransformation of CDDP. The alleviation or prevention of CDDP-caused nephrotoxicity is currently accomplished by hydration, magnesium supplementation or mannitol-induced forced diuresis which is considered for high-dose CDDP-treated patients. However, mannitol treatment causes over-diuresis and consequent dehydration in CDDP-treated patients, indicating an urgent need for the clinical use of safe and efficacious renoprotective drug as an additive therapy for high dose CDDP-treated patients.Main bodyIn this review article we describe in detail signaling pathways involved in CDDP-induced apoptosis of renal tubular cells, oxidative stress and inflammatory response in injured kidneys in order to pave the way for the design of new therapeutic approaches that can minimize CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity. Most of these molecular pathways are, at the same time, crucially involved in cytotoxic activity of CDDP against tumor cells and potential alterations in their function might mitigate CDDP-induced anti-tumor effects.ConclusionDespite the fact that many molecules were designated as potential therapeutic targets for renoprotection against CDDP, modulation of CDDP-induced nephrotoxicity still represents a balance on the knife edge between renoprotection and tumor toxicity.

No abstract

During acute or chronic lung injury, inappropriate immune response and/or aberrant repair process causes irreversible damage in lung tissue and most usually results in the development of fibrosis followed by decline in lung function. Inhaled corticosteroids and other anti-inflammatory drugs are very effective in patients with inflammatory lung disorders, but their long-term use is associated with severe side effects. Accordingly, new therapeutic agents that will attenuate ongoing inflammation and, at the same time, promote regeneration of injured alveolar epithelial cells are urgently needed. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are able to modulate proliferation, activation, and effector function of all immune cells that play an important role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic inflammatory lung diseases. In addition to the suppression of lung-infiltrated immune cells, MSCs have potential to differentiate into alveolar epithelial cells in vitro and, accordingly, represent new players in cell-based therapy of inflammatory lung disorders. In this review article, we described molecular mechanisms involved in MSC-based therapy of acute and chronic pulmonary diseases and emphasized current knowledge and future perspectives related to the therapeutic application of MSCs in patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome, pneumonia, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The standard sterilization method for most medical devices over the past 40 years involves gamma irradiation. During sterilization, gamma rays efficiently eliminate microorganisms from the medical devices and tissue allografts, but also significantly change molecular structure of irradiated products, particularly fragile biologics such as cytokines, chemokines and growth factors. Accordingly, gamma radiation significantly alters biomechanical properties of bone, tendon, tracheal, skin, amnion tissue grafts and micronized amniotic membrane injectable products. Similarly, when polymer medical devices are sterilized by gamma radiation, their physico-chemical characteristics undergo modification significantly affecting their clinical use.Several animal studies demonstrated that consummation of irradiated food provoked genome instability raising serious concerns regarding oncogenic potential of irradiated consumables. These findings strongly suggest that new, long-term, prospective clinical studies should be conducted in near future to investigate whether irradiated food is safe for human consumption. In this review, we summarized current knowledge regarding molecular mechanisms responsible for deleterious effects of gamma radiation with focusing on its significance for food safety and biomechanical characteristics of medical devices, and tissue allografts, especially injectable biologics.