What type of study is this?

This is a In Vitro Study study (also classified as: Observational).

August 18, 2025Open Access

Comparisons of miRNA profiles of exosomes derived from human iPSCs, ADSCs, and BMSCs and effects on chondrocyte function

LCLing-Hua ChangKaohsiung Medical University SCShu‐Chun ChuangKaohsiung Medical University SWShun‐Cheng WuAsia University

Key Points

hBMSC-Exos and hADSC-Exos share similar miRNA profiles, while hiPSC-Exos differ significantly.
Bioinformatics showed 17 miRNAs in hiPSC-Exos and overlapping targets indicating activation of the MAPK pathway.
Next-generation sequencing was used to analyze the exosomal profiles, revealing insights into cartilage growth and differentiation.
This research suggests that exosomes from multipotent stem cells may enhance cartilage regeneration, needing further exploration.

Abstract

Aims This study aimed to identify and compare the microRNA (miRNA) profiles of exosomes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), and adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) (hiPSC-Exos, hBMSC-Exos, and hADSC-Exos), and their functional effects on human articular chondrocytes (hACs). Methods hiPSC-Exos, hBMSC-Exos, and hADSC-Exos were collected from the appropriate cells cultured in 10% bovine exosome-depleted fetal bovine serum (de-Exo-FBS) for 48 hours. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) and bioinformatics were used to analyze the small RNA profiles of these exosomes. The biological functions of hACs were examined after a 12-day treatment with exosomes. Results hBMSC-Exos and hADSC-Exos had similar miRNA profiles but were largely different from hiPS-Exos. There were 17 highly expressed miRNAs in hiPSC-Exos, 13 miRNAs in hADSC-Exos, and 11 miRNAs in hBMSC-Exos. Among them, seven miRNAs overlapped between the hBMSC-Exos and hADSC-Exos, and only three of them (hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-miR-25-3p, and hsa-miR-93-5p) overlapped among all three exosomes. The putative target genes of the three overlapping exosomal miRNAs, and high-scoring target genes, including MAN2A1, ZNFX1, PHF19, GPR137C, ENPP5, B3GALT2, FNIP1, PKD2, and FBXW7, were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analyses revealed that these genes are involved in cell growth, bone ossification, and cartilage development/differentiation, possibly via the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway. Accordingly, we confirmed the biological effect on cartilage differentiation and found that hiPSC-Exos, hBMSC-Exos, and hADSC-Exos maintained hAC viability, prevented senescence, promoted the formation of a normal cartilage matrix (glycosaminoglycan and type II collagen), and downregulated fibrocartilage matrix (type I collagen) in normal hACs. Comparatively, hBMSC-Exos had the greatest effect on hAC function. Conclusion Bioinformatics revealed differences and possible mechanisms of action of exosomes derived from pluripotent hiPSCs, multipotent hADSCs, and multipotent hBMSCs, and these exosomes effectively suppressed cell senescence and promoted normal functional extracellular matrix formation in hACs. Further investigations of the different functions of exosomes from pluripotent-hiPSCs other than those from multipotent-hMSCs are needed. Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2025;14(8):696–712.

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