Comment on: Mesenchymal stromal (stem) cell therapy modulates miR-193b-5p expression to attenuate sepsis-induced acute lung injury

Extract

We read with great interest the article written by dos Santos et al. [1]. Their study revealed a decrease in miR-193b-5p expression and an increase in the expression of its target gene, occludin (Ocln) in the lungs of septic mice treated with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Inhibition of miR-193b-5p expression in vivo protected mice from LPS-induced lung injury. Suppression of miR-193b-5p was also found to prevent tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-induced reduction in Ocln mRNA and protein expression levels, and disruption of barrier function in an in vitro experiment. Finally, the authors also found elevated miR-193b-5p in lung autopsy specimens from patients who died of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).