Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate Diabetic Lung Fibrosis via Adjusting Sirt3-Mediated Stress Responses in Rats

Diabetes affects a variety of organs such as the kidneys, eyes, and liver, and there is increasing evidence that the lung is also one of the target organs of diabetes and imbalance of Sirt3-mediated stress responses such as inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and ER stress may contribute to diabetic lung fibrosis. Although previous studies have reported that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have beneficial effects on various diabetic complications, the effect and mechanisms of MSCs on diabetes-induced lung injury are not clear. In this study, the STZ-induced diabetes model was constructed in rats, and the effect and potential mechanisms of bone marrow MSCs on diabetic lung fibrosis were investigated. The results revealed that fibrotic changes in the lung were successfully induced in the diabetic rats, while MSCs significantly inhibited or even reversed the changes. Specifically, MSCs upregulated the expression levels of Sirt3 and SOD2 and then activated the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway, thereby controlling MDA, GSH content, and iNOS and NADPH oxidase subunit p22(phox) expression levels in the lung tissue. Meanwhile, high levels of Sirt3 and SOD2 induced by MSCs reduced the expression levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, ICAM-1, and MMP9 by suppressing the NF-κB/HMGB1/NLRP3/caspase-1 signaling pathway, as well as regulating the expression levels of cleaved caspasese-3, Bax, and Bcl2 by upregulating the expression level of P-Akt, thereby inhibiting the apoptosis of the lung tissue. In addition, MSCs also regulated the expression levels of LC3, P62, BiP, Chop, and PERK, thereby enhancing autophagy and attenuating endoplasmic reticulum stress. Taken together, our results suggest that MSCs effectively attenuate diabetic lung fibrosis via adjusting Sirt3-mediated responses, including inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy, and endoplasmic reticulum stress, providing a theoretical foundation for further exploration of MSC-based diabetic therapeutics.