ABSTRACT
Objective:To investigate the effects of ginsenoside Rg1 (GS-Rg1) on the secretion of exosomes (MSC-Exo) and expression of angiogenesis related microRNAs (miRNAs) in mesenchymal stem cells.Methods:Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCBMSCs) were divided into experimental group and control group. The experimental group was treated with GS-RG1 at a final concentration of 40 mg/L, while the control group was treated with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at the same volume. Both groups were cultured for 24 h. The morphology of MSC-Exo was observed by transmission electron microscopy; the characteristic surface markers were identified by Western blot; the concentration of MSC-Exo was detected by dicootanobutyric acid protein quantification method, and the expression of 8 miRNAs related to angiogenesis in MSC-Exo was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).Results:After 24 h of incubation, MSC-Exo with a circular membrane vesicle structure was visible. MSC-Exo was positive for the expression of the characteristic surface markers CD9, CD63 and TSG101. After 24 h of intervention, the concentration of MSC-Exo protein were (1.080±0.019)μg/μl and (0.881±0.032)μg/μl in the experimental group and control group, respectively, with statistically significant difference ( P<0.01). The expression of miR-126-3p, miR-21, miR-146a-5p and miR-125b-5p in the GS-Rg1 group were significantly higher than that in the control group, while the expression of miR-16-5p was significantly lower than that in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusions:GS-Rg1 promotes the secretion of MSC-Exo and enhances the expression of angiogenesis-related miRNAs within Exo to promote angiogenesis.