Exosomes derived from chemically induced human hepatic progenitors inhibit oxidative stress induced cell death

Abstract

The emerging field of regenerative medicine has revealed that the exosome con-tributes to many aspects of development and disease through intercellular com-munication between donor and recipient cells. However, the biological functions ofexosomes secreted from cells have remained largely unexplored. Here, we reportthat the human hepatic progenitor cells (CdHs)‐derived exosome (EXOhCdHs) plays acrucial role in maintaining cell viability. The inhibition of exosome secretion treat-ment with GW4869 results in the acceleration of reactive oxygen species (ROS)production, thereby causing a decrease of cell viability. This event provokes in-hibition of caspase dependent cell death signaling, leading to a ROS‐dependent celldamage response and thus induces promotion of antioxidant gene expression orrepair of cell death of hypoxia‐exposed cells. Together, these findings show theeffect of exosomes in regeneration of liver cells, and offer valuable new insights intoliver regeneration.