AUTHOR=Zhang Changlin , Liao Wei , Li Weizhao , Li Mengxiong , Xu Xiaoyu , Sun Haohui , Xue Yaohua , Liu Lixiang , Qiu Jiehong , Zhang Chi , Zhang Xunzhi , Ye Juntong , Du Jingran , Deng David Y. B. , Deng Wuguo , Li Tian 

TITLE=Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells derived extracellular vesicles alleviate salpingitis by promoting M1–to–M2 transformation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Physiology

VOLUME=14

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2023.1131701

DOI=10.3389/fphys.2023.1131701

ISSN=1664-042X

ABSTRACT=<p><bold>Background:</bold> With an increasing number of patients experiencing infertility due to chronic salpingitis after <italic>Chlamydia trachomatis</italic> (CT) infection, there is an unmet need for tissue repair or regeneration therapies. Treatment with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles (hucMSC-EV) provides an attractive cell-free therapeutic approach.</p><p><bold>Methods:</bold> In this study, we investigated the alleviating effect of hucMSC-EV on tubal inflammatory infertility caused by CT using <italic>in vivo</italic> animal experiments. Furthermore, we examined the effect of hucMSC-EV on inducing macrophage polarization to explore the molecular mechanism.</p><p><bold>Results:</bold> Our results showed that tubal inflammatory infertility caused by <italic>Chlamydia</italic> infection was significantly alleviated in the hucMSC-EV treatment group compared with the control group. Further mechanistic experiments showed that the application of hucMSC-EV induced macrophage polarization from the M1 to the M2 type <italic>via</italic> the NF-κB signaling pathway, improved the local inflammatory microenvironment of fallopian tubes and inhibited tube inflammation.</p><p><bold>Conclusion:</bold> We conclude that this approach represents a promising cell-free avenue to ameliorate infertility due to chronic salpingitis.</p>