AUTHOR=Xu Limin , Ji Haifeng , Jiang Yufeng , Cai Liying , Lai Xiaoyin , Wu Feifei , Hu Rongguo , Yang Xuelian , Bao Huan , Jiang Mei 

TITLE=Exosomes Derived From CircAkap7-Modified Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Protect Against Cerebral Ischemic Injury

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=8

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2020.569977

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2020.569977

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Cerebral ischemic injury is a complicated pathological process. Adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) have been used as a therapeutic strategy, with their therapeutic effects chiefly attributed to paracrine action rather than <italic>trans-</italic>differentiation. Studies have shown that circAkap7 was found to be downregulated in a mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO).</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>To explore whether exosomes derived from circAkap7-modified ADSCs (exo-circAkap7) have therapeutic effects on cerebral ischemic injury, a mouse model of tMCAO, as well as an <italic>in vitro</italic> model of oxygen and glucose deprivation-reoxygenation (OGD-R) in primary astrocytes, were used.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>Results showed that treatment with exo-circAkap7 protected against tMCAO in mice, and <italic>in vitro</italic> experiments confirmed that co-culture with exo-circAkap7 attenuated OGD-R-induced cellular injury by absorbing miR-155-5p, promoting ATG12-mediated autophagy, and inhibiting NRF2-mediated oxidative stress.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>We demonstrate here that exo-circAkap7 protected against cerebral ischemic injury by promoting autophagy and ameliorating oxidative stress.</p></sec>