A study investigates how extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC)-mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can impact inflammatory pathways in ulcerative colitis (UC). UC, an inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by immune-mediated damage to the colon, but current treatments focus mainly on symptom management.
In this study, researchers engineered iPSC-MSCs to secrete EVs containing circ-CCND1, which were then tested on UC model cells. The results showed that these EVs reduced pyroptosis, a type of cell death linked to inflammation in UC. The key mechanism involves a feedback loop targeting the KDM6B protein, which is associated with histone modification. Circ-CCND1 inhibits KDM6B, leading to the activation of miR-342-3p and a reduction in pyroptosis.
This finding not only provides insights into the molecular mechanisms of UC but also suggests that EV-based therapies, especially those carrying circ-CCND1, could offer a novel approach to treating UC by regulating inflammatory cell death.
