Extracellular Vesicles to Evaluate the Effects of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in the Premature Lung

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), caused by disrupted lung development, is a common complication of prematurity without effective treatment. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) improve features of experimental BPD, such as lung function, structure, and inflammation. The HULC-1 trial assessed the safety of MSCs for BPD. Since MSC mechanisms in the premature lung remain unclear, we hypothesized that extracellular vesicles (EVs) might reflect MSC effects. We analyzed EVs from tracheal aspirates (TA) collected before and after MSC treatment using two flow cytometry methods: antibody-capture to identify cellular origin and single particle analysis to quantify EVs. TA-EVs primarily originated from lung epithelium and immune cells. After MSC administration, total TA-EVs increased threefold within 3–4 days, though EVs from specific cell types showed no significant change. This suggests the EV increase may not be cell-type-specific. These findings highlight TA-EVs as potential biomarkers for MSC treatment response in preterm infants, warranting further investigation.

Grantor dc:publisher

Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Green, Mairéad

Contributors dc:contributor

• Thébaud, Bernard

• extracellular vesicles

Statement dc:rights

• Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language

en

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.20381/ruor-31223

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ruor.uottawa.ca:10393/50621