Journal: International Journal of Medical Sciences
Article Title: Artemisia argyi -enhanced Mesenchymal Stem Cell Exosomes Alleviates Inflammation in C28/I2 Chondrocytes by inhibiting NF-κB
doi: 10.7150/ijms.126119
Figure Lengend Snippet: C28/I2 cells were exposed to H₂O₂ (100 μM, 2 h) followed by treatment with AA-enhanced WJSC-conditioned medium or exosomes. Cell viability, exosome uptake, NF-κB signaling proteins, cartilage-associated markers, and intracellular ROS levels were analyzed. (A) AA-enhanced conditioned medium at concentrations of 1%, 3%, 5%, 7%, and 9% for 24 hours significantly promoted C28/I2 cell proliferation compared to the control group. (B) After 2 hours of oxidative stress with H₂O₂, treatment with AA-enhanced conditioned medium restored cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. (C) Similarly, treatment with increasing concentrations of AA-enhanced WJSCs exosomes after H₂O₂ exposure enhanced cell viability. (D) Fluorescence microscopy confirmed cellular uptake of PKH67-labeled exosomes, with F-actin filaments stained in red (Scale bar = 20 μm). (E) Immunoblot analysis showed decreased expression of inflammation markers (p-IKKα/β, p-NF-κB, IκBα) and OA marker MMP13, with increased COL2A1 at higher concentrations of AA-enhanced conditioned medium (5%, 7%, 9%). (F) Similarly, AA-enhanced WJSCs exosomes (80 μg/mL) modulated inflammatory and OA markers. (G) mRNA expression of ADAMTS14, ADAMTS15, TNF-α, and IL-17A was normalized to β-actin using the 2-∆∆Ct method. (H) ROS generation was assessed by DCFDA staining. Fluorescence microscopy showed reduced ROS levels in cells treated with AA-enhanced exosomes (80 μg/mL) compared to the H₂O₂ group (Scale bar = 40 μm). (I) Quantification confirmed significant reduction in ROS levels, emphasizing the antioxidant effects of AA- conditioned vesicles. Data are presented as mean ± SD (n = 3), * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001, ****p < 0.0001 vs. untreated control group; # p < 0.05, ## p < 0.01, ### p < 0.001, #### p < 0.0001 vs. H₂O₂ treated group.
Article Snippet: The following antibodies were used in the current study: CD9 (#13174; Cell signaling technology, Danvers, MA, USA), CD63(Merck Millipore; Burlington, MA, USA), CD81(sc-166028; Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Dallas, TX, USA), Calnexin (#2679, Cell signaling), β-actin(sc-47778, Santa Cruz), p-IKKα/β (bs-3237R; Bioss Antibodies, Woburn, MA, USA), p-NF-κB p-p65 (#3033, Cell signaling), NF-κB p65(#8242, Cell signaling), p-IκB-α (#2859, Cell signaling), IκB-α (sc-1643, Santa Cruz), COL2A1 (GB11021; Servicebio, Wuhan, Hubei, China), MMP-13 (GTX100665; GeneTex, Irvine, CA, USA), Nanog (#4903, Cell Signaling), KLF4 (#4038, Cell signaling), CXCR4 (60042-1-Ig; Proteintech, San Diego, CA, USA), CXCR7 (bs-4897R, Bioss), CD44 (#3570, Cell signaling), CD90 (sc-53456, Santa Cruz).
Techniques: Control, Fluorescence, Microscopy, Labeling, Staining, Western Blot, Expressing, Marker