Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) are considered attractive sources of pancreatic β cells and islet organoids. Recently, several reports presented that hESC/iPSC-derived cells enriched with specific transcription factors can form glucose-responsive insulin-secreting cells in vitro and transplantation of these cells ameliorates hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. However, the glucose-stimulated insulin-secreting capacity of these cells is lower than that of endogenous islets, suggesting the need to improve induction procedures. One of the critical problems facing in vivo maturation of hESC/iPSC-derived cells is their low survival rate after transplantation, although this rate increases when the implanted pancreatic cells are encapsulated to avoid the immune response. Several groups have also reported on the generation of hESC/iPSC-derived islet-like organoids, but development of techniques for complete islet structures with the eventual generation of vascularized constructs remains a major challenge to their application in regenerative therapies. Many issues also need to be addressed before the successful clinical application of hESC/iPSC-derived cells or islet organoids. In this review, we summarize advances in the generation of hESC/iPSC-derived pancreatic β cells or islet organoids and discuss the limitations and challenges for their successful therapeutic application in diabetes.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess a broad spectrum of therapeutic applications and have been used in clinical trials. MSCs are mainly retrieved from adult or fetal tissues. However, there are many obstacles with the use of tissue-derived MSCs, such as shortages of tissue sources, difficult and invasive retrieval methods, cell population heterogeneity, low purity, cell senescence, and loss of pluripotency and proliferative capacities over continuous passages. Therefore, other methods to obtain high-quality MSCs need to be developed to overcome the limitations of tissue-derived MSCs. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), are considered potent sources for the derivation of MSCs. PSC-derived MSCs (PSC-MSCs) may surpass tissue-derived MSCs in proliferation capacity, immunomodulatory activity, and in vivo therapeutic applications. In this review, we will discuss basic as well as recent protocols for the production of PSC-MSCs and their in vitro and in vivo therapeutic efficacies. A better understanding of the current advances in the production of PSC-MSCs will inspire scientists to devise more efficient differentiation methods that will be a breakthrough in the clinical application of PSC-MSCs.

The complexity of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) has led to considerable uncertainty in terms of diagnosis and prevalence of the condition. Here, we try to identify the IC/BPS-associated genes through an integrated analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets and confirm experimentally to predict the pathologic diagnosis of IC/BPS. Data mining analysis of GEO datasets (GSE621, GSE11783, GSE28242, and GSE57560) revealed a total of 53 (51 upregulated and two downregulated) common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in IC/BPS. A protein–protein interaction (PPI) network was then constructed with the 53 common DEGs using Cytoscape v3.7.2, and subsequently, six hub genes (CD5, CD38, ITGAL, IL7R, KLRB1, and IL7R) were identified using cytoHubba v0.1 that were upregulated in IC/BPS. Enrichment analysis of common DEGs revealed that hematopoietic cell lineage, immune system, and T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling in naïve CD4+ T cell signaling pathways were prominently involved with the common 51 upregulated DEGs. The two common downregulated DEGs may enrich linoleic acid metabolism and synthesis of epoxy (EET) and dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acid (DHET) signaling pathways in IC/BPS. Moreover, our RT-PCR data confirmed that the expression of the five hub genes (CD38, ITGAL, IL7R, KLRB1, and IL7R) was significantly augmented in IC/BPS patients’ samples when compared with their normal counterparts. In this study, we systematically predict the significant biomarkers and possible signaling pathways involved in IC/BPS, confirming the differential expression of the hub genes in tissue samples from patients with IC/BPS. Thus, the hub genes might be used as potential diagnostic biomarkers of IC/BPS.

The skin is an essential organ that protects the body from external aggressions; therefore, damage from various wounds can significantly impair its function, and effective methods for regenerating and restoring its barrier function are crucial. This study aimed to mass-produce wound-healing exosomes using a fragment of the fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2)-derived peptide (FP2) to enhance cell proliferation and exosome production. Our experiments demonstrated increased cell proliferation when Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ MSCs) were coated with FP2. Exosomes from FP2-coated WJ MSCs were analyzed using nanoparticle-tracking analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blotting. Subsequently, fibroblasts were treated with these exosomes, and their viability and migration effects were compared. Anti-inflammatory effects were also evaluated by inducing pro-inflammatory factors in RAW264.7 cells. The treatment of fibroblasts with FP2-coated WJ MSC-derived exosomes (FP2-exo) increased the expression of FGF2, confirming their wound-healing effect in vivo. Overall, the results of this study highlight the significant impact of FP2 on the proliferation of WJ MSCs and the anti-inflammatory and wound-healing effects of exosomes, suggesting potential applications beyond wound healing.