Adoptive transfer of syngeneic bone marrow-derived cells in mice with obesity-induced diabetes: selenoorganic antioxidant ebselen restores stem cell competence.

There are conflicting data regarding the effects of transplantation of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) on the severity of diabetes. We therefore inquired whether the competence of BMDCs is preserved on adoptive transfer into diabetic (db/db) mice and how the adoptive transfer of BMDCs affects vascular and metabolic abnormalities in these mice. Recipient db/db mice received infusions of BMDCs prepared from either db/db or non-diabetic heterozygout mice (db/m) mice and effects on endothelium-dependent relaxation, insulin sensitivity, and renal function were evaluated. Recipients of BMDCs from db/m, but not db/db donors showed better glucose control, exhibited striking improvement in endothelium-dependent relaxation in response to acetylcholine, and had partially restored renal function. Improved glucose control was due to enhanced insulin sensitivity, most likely secondary to improved vascular function. Enhanced apoptosis of endothelial progenitor cells under oxidative stress, as well as decreased endothelial progenitor cell numbers were responsible for the apparent functional incompetence of BMDCs from db/db donors. Treatment of db/db mice with Ebselen restored the resistance of both BMDCs and endothelial progenitor cells to oxidative stress, improved acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation, and reduced proteinuria in db/db recipients of BMDC transplantation. In conclusion, infusion of BMDCs obtained from db/m donors to db/db recipient mice benefited macrovascular function, insulin sensitivity, and nephropathy. BMDCs obtained from db/db mice were functionally incompetent secondary to the increased proportion of apoptotic cells on oxidative stress challenge; their competence was restored by Ebselen therapy.

Ischemia-induced exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies mobilizes stem cells.

Recruitment of various stem and progenitor cells is crucial for the regeneration of an injured organ. Levels of uric acid, one of the prototypical "alarm signals," surge after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Exogenous uric acid rapidly mobilizes endothelial progenitor cells and hematopoietic stem cells and protects the kidney from ischemia. The relatively fast responses to uric acid suggest that preformed second messengers may be released from a storage pool. Here, it is reported that monosodium urate (MSU) results in exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies in vitro and in vivo, leading to the release of IL-8, von Willebrand factor, and angiopoietin 2 in the culture medium or circulation. Confocal and immunoelectron microscopy confirmed depletion of von Willebrand factor in MSU-treated aortic endothelial cells. Angiopoietin 2 alone induced exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies, mobilized hematopoietic stem cells and depleted splenic endothelial progenitor cells, partially reproducing the actions of MSU. In addition, pretreatment with angiopoietin 2 protected the kidneys from an ischemic insult, suggesting that the previously reported renoprotection conferred by MSU likely results from exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies. Furthermore, experiments with toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4)-and TLR-2-deficient mice demonstrated that uric acid-induced exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies is mediated by TLR-4 and that uric acid-induced release of IL-8 requires both TLR-2 and TLR-4. In summary, these results suggest that exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies links postischemic repair with inflammation and mobilization of stem cells.