Small extracellular vesicles mediate the antihyperalgesic effect of bone marrow stromal cells: the role of “priming”

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) including bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have shown analgesic efficacy in recent years. Studies suggested that the therapeutic effect of MSCs was mediated by their secreted small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) mainly exosomes. The present study evaluated the antihyperalgesic effect of BMSC-related sEVs in a mouse model of neuropathic pain involving chronic constriction injury of the infraorbital nerve (CCI-ION). Our separation protocol generated EV particles mostly sized in the range of exosomes (30-170 nm) and express exosome marker proteins CD9, CD81, and Tsg101, suggesting their endosome origin.

We show that intravenous injection of BMSC-related sEVs attenuated pain hypersensitivity induced by CCI-ION as indicated by decreased mechanical hypersensitivity (von Frey test) and reduced aversion to noxious stimulation (conditioned place avoidance test). The antihyperalgesic effect of sEVs was observed in both female and male animals, and the effect was dose-dependent. sEVs from NAIVE serum-treated BMSC cultures produced short-lasting antihyperalgesia in male but not female mice, suggesting a subtle sex difference. The antihyperalgesia of sEVs from BMSC culture was blocked by the pretreatment of the culture with GM4869, the antagonist of exosome secretion, suggesting that the effect was not related to other co-isolated soluble mediators but mediated by MSC-derived exosomes.

Interestingly, the prior injury condition in which sEVs were isolated favors the pain-relieving effect of sEVs. sEVs isolated from the serum of BMSC-treated animals receiving tendon ligation (TL) injury attenuated hyperalgesia for 24 h, while sEVs from the serum of BMSC-treated NAIVE animals only attenuated hyperalgesia at 3 h after injection. sEVs from the BMSC culture treated with the serum of TL rats were antihyperalgesic, but sEVs from the BMSC culture treated with the serum of naive animals were ineffective.

Our results indicate that BMSC-related sEVs produced antihyperalgesia similar to that produced by BMSCs. The results suggest that the interactions between BMSCs and injury conditions are crucially important for producing efficacious sEVs/exosomes and support that the effect of sEVs could be optimized by priming BMSCs with injury-related conditions.