The Miska Group have worked with the St. John Smith Group in Pharmacology and Tim Williams' Group in Veterinary Medicine on a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, ‘Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Extracellular Vesicles Deliver MicroRNAs That Prevent Nerve Growth Factor-Induced Sensory Neuron Sensitization’
The research, led by Lanhui Qiu, demonstrates how miRNA within mesenchymal stem cell (MSCs) extracellular vesicles can regulate sensory neuron activity. It investigates the emerging clinical evidence that supports the use of MSCs and their extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) for pain relief in knee Osteoarthritis (OA) and how, in mice, MSC-EVs have been shown to ameliorate OA-induced pain and normalize knee-innervating neuron excitability. The findings show that MSC-EVs prevent nerve growth factor (NGF)-induced sensory neuron sensitization via cellular uptake and transcriptional regulation that is mediated by miRNAs.
The paper concludes ‘MSC-EVs can suppress the sensitizing effects of NGF on DRG neurons, with their efficacy dependent on internalization and transcriptional regulation. Importantly, we identify EV-enriched miRNAs, miR-21-5p, miR-148a-3p, and miR-451a, that can modulate sensory neuron excitability, thereby offering mechanistic insight into how MSC-EVs achieve their analgesic effects in vivo, as well as opening the door to future studies examining the potential for miRNA-mediated pain management in OA.’