Hypoxic Dental Pulp Stem Cell Vesicles Alleviate Dss-Induced Colitis

This study investigates the therapeutic potential of hypoxia-preconditioned dental pulp stem cell-derived intracellular vesicles (H-DPSC-Ivs) in dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis (UC) mice, addressing the need for novel regenerative strategies (Wangchuk P, Yeshi K, Loukas A. Ulcerative colitis: clinical biomarkers, therapeutic targets, and emerging treatments. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2024;45(10):892-903). Eight-week-old male C57BL/6 mice (n=30) with DSS-induced UC were randomized into control, DSS-only, normal DPSC-Ivs, H-DPSC-Ivs and salicylazosulfapyridine(SASP, the positive control) treatment groups. Intracellular vesicles were isolated from DPSCs cultured under hypoxia (1% O₂) and administered intraperitoneally. Disease activity index (DAI), colon histology, and inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-α) were analyzed. Protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee. H-DPSC-Ivs treatment significantly reduced DAI scores and colonic inflammation (p<0.05), restored epithelial integrity, and downregulated pro-inflammatory cytokines compared to DSS controls. Hypoxic DPSC-derived intracellular vesicles mitigate DSS-induced colitis by modulating inflammation and promoting tissue repair, offering a promising cell-free therapy for UC.