Mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles suppress the fibroblast proliferation by downregulating FZD6 expression in fibroblasts via micrRNA-29b-3p in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive and fatal lung disease, usually leads to an irreversible distortion of the pulmonary structure. The functional roles of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC)-secreted extracellular vesicles (EVs) in fibroblasts have been implicated, yet their actions in the treatment of IPF are not fully understood. This study investigated the roles of BMSC-derived EVs expressing miR-29b-3p in fibroblasts in IPF treatment. EVs derived from BMSCs were successfully isolated and could be internalized by pulmonary fibroblasts, and Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) and Transwell assay results identified that EVs inhibited the activation of fibroblast in IPF. miR-29b-3p, frizzled 6 (FZD6), alpha-skeletal muscle actin (alpha-SMA), and Collagen I expressions were examined, which revealed that miR-29b-3p was poorly expressed and FZD6, alpha-SMA, and Collagen I were overexpressed in pulmonary tissues. Dual-luciferase reporter assay results demonstrated that miR-29b-3p could inversely target FZD6 expression. The gain- and loss-of-function assays were conducted to determine regulatory effects of FZD6 and miR-29b-3p on IPF. CCK-8 and Transwell assays results displayed that BMSCs-derived EVs overexpressing miR-29b-3p contributed to inhibited pulmonary interstitial fibroblast proliferation, migration, invasion, and differentiation. Furthermore, the effects of BMSCs-derived EVs overexpressing miR-29b-3p on IPF progression were assessed in vivo, which confirmed the repressive effects of BMSCs-derived EVs overexpressing miR-29b-3p on IPF progression. Collectively, BMSCs-derived EVs overexpressing miR-29b-3p relieve IPF through FZD6.