Figure 2From: Exosomes released by human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells protect against cisplatin-induced renal oxidative stress and apoptosis in vivo and in vitroExosomes released from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hucMSCs) induced an accelerated acute kidney injury (AKI) rat recovery. (A) Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine (Cr) values from 0 days to 5 days. At 24 h after cisplatin administration, rats received a renal capsule injection of 200 μg of exosomes from hucMSCs per kidney. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with two-way classification was performed: *P <0.001, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) group vs normal group; #P <0.001, hucMSC-ex group vs PBS group. Results showed that BUN and Cr levels were significantly lower in the hucMSC-ex group than in the PBS, hucMSC-CM, non-hucMSC-ex and human lung fibroblast secreted exosomes (HFL-1-ex) groups from 3 days to 5 days. There were no marked changes in the PBS, hucMSC-CM, non-hucMSC-ex and HFL-1-ex groups. (B) Representative micrographs of renal histology at day 5 in the four groups. There were numerous examples of necrosis of the proximal epithelium and tubular protein casts in the PBS, hucMSC-CM, non-hucMSC-ex and HFL-1-ex groups, but this was not the case in the hucMSC-ex group. Original magnification, × 200. Scale bars: 100 μm. Group, n = 6. (C) Incorporation of hucMSC-ex in tubular epithelial cells by renal capsule injection: (a) unlabeled hucMSC-ex was injected into the kidney, no red fluorescence was detected; (b) red fluorescence (white arrows) was observed in the tubular epithelial cells after injection of CM-Dil dye-labeled hucMSC-ex at 24 h. Tubular epithelial cell cytoplasm and nuclei were stained green and blue, respectively. Original magnification × 200.Back to article page