Three-dimensional cultured mesenchymal stem cells enhance repair of ischemic stroke through inhibition of microglia

BACKGROUND: We show previously that three-dimensional (3D) spheroid cultured mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit reduced cell size thus devoid of lung entrapment following intravenous (IV) infusion. In this study, we determined the therapeutic effect of 3D-cultured MSCs on ischemic stroke and investigated the mechanisms involved. METHODS: Rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion. 1 × 10(6) of 3D- or 2D-cultured MSCs, which were pre-labeled with GFP, were injected through the tail vain three and seven days after MCAO. Two days after infusion, MSC engraftment into the ischemic brain tissues was assessed by histological analysis for GFP-expressing cells, and infarct volume was determined by MRI. Microglia in the lesion were sorted and subjected to gene expressional analysis by RNA-seq. RESULTS: We found that infusion of 3D-cultured MSCs significantly reduced the infarct volume of the brain with increased engraftment of the cells into the ischemic tissue, compared to 2D-cultured MSCs. Accordingly, in the brain lesion of 3D MSC-treated animals, there were significantly reduced numbers of amoeboid microglia and decreased levels of proinflammatory cytokines, indicating attenuated activation of the microglia. RNA-seq of microglia derived from the lesions suggested that 3D-cultured MSCs decreased the response of microglia to the ischemic insult. Interestingly, we observed a decreased expression of mincle, a damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) receptor, which induces the production of proinflammatory cytokines, suggestive of a potential mechanism in 3D MSC-mediated enhanced repair to ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that 3D-cultured MSCs exhibit enhanced repair to ischemic stroke, probably through a suppression to ischemia-induced microglial activation. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13287-021-02416-4.