Cell culture
Human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y cells (ATCC, MD, USA) were cultured in complete medium containing Ham’s F-12K Nutrient Mixture and Eagle’s Minimum Essential Medium (Corning Cellgro, VA, USA) with 10% fetal bovine serum (HyClone, PA, USA), 100 IU/ml penicillin, and 100 mg/ml streptomycin in an atmosphere of 5% CO2 at 37°C. The medium was changed every other day, the cells were passaged when the density reached around 75%. The 12 – 16 passages of the cells were used in the present study.
Human endothelial progenitor cells (Celprogen, Torrance, CA) were cultured in complete growth medium (Celprogen; Torrance, CA) under standard cell culture conditions (5% CO2, 37°C) according to the manufacturer’s protocol. The medium was changed every other day, and the cells were passaged when the density reached around 80%. The cells underwent 8–11 passages in the present study.
Oxyhemoglobin-induced neuron injury model
For the in vitro neuron injury model, oxyHb was used to mimic the injury that occurs to neurons in the brain after hemorrhagic stroke[5, 6]. In brief, the cells were seeded in culture plates and cultured with complete medium (5% CO2, 37°C) for 24 h. Then, the medium was removed and the cells were exposed to 10 μM oxyHb (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) in complete medium for 24 h. The dose and time point of oxyHb were selected according to our previous study[4]. Cells were then used for the following experiments.
miR-137 transfection
To overexpress miR-137, the EPCs were cultured to 60–70% confluence, and then ShMIMIC Lentiviral microRNA (hsa-mir-137) and SMARTvector Empty Vector (1:125 diluted in complete growth medium, Dharmacon, CO, USA) were transfected into the EPCs for 48 h. Along with the control EPCs that were cultured in complete growth culture medium, three types of EPCs were used to produce corresponding EXs (Fig.1). We determined the transfection rate in EPCs, and whether the Lentiviral miRNAs (hsa-mir-137) with green fluorescence were also transfected into the neurons via EXs. After miR-137/EXsmiR-137 transfection, the EPCs/neurons were fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde (PFA) and stained with 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) dye. Fluorescence was observed using the EVOS cell imaging system (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA) and analyzed with Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA).
Exosome extraction
The EXs were collected from the medium of EPCs according to our previously reported method[15]. Briefly, the three types of EPCs were cultured to 70–80% confluence, and then incubated with serum-free culture medium (Celprogen, Torrance, CA) for 48 h. Then, the medium was collected and centrifuged at 2000 g for 20 min to remove dead cells. The supernatants were centrifuged at 20,000 g for 70 min, and ultracentrifuged at 170,000g for 90 min to pellet EXs. The pelleted EXs, including EPC-EXs, EPC-EXsSC, and EPC-EXsmiR-137, were resuspended with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and then aliquoted for nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) and the co-incubation study. PBS was filtered through a 20 nm-filter (Whatman, Pittsburgh, PA)
Co-incubation study
The SH-SY5Y cells were divided into different co-incubation groups as shown in Fig.1. In the control group, cells were only incubated with complete medium. In the oxyHb group, cells were incubated with 10 μM oxyHb in complete medium for 24 h. In the oxyHb+EXs, oxyHb+EXsSC, and oxyHb+EXsmiR-137 groups, cells were co-incubated with EPC-EXs, EPC-EXsSC, and EPC-EXsmiR-137, respectively for 24 h. Each type of EXs (1×109) was diluted in 10 μM oxyHb in complete medium for co-incubation. For the mechanism study, recombinational PGE2 (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) was used to activate the COX2/PGE2 pathway. For the oxyHb+EXsmiR-137+PGE2 group, PGE2 (10 mM, diluted in distilled water) was added to the complete medium at a final concentration of 100 ng/ml and then cells were co-incubated with PGE2 (100 ng/ml), oxyHb (10 μM), and EXsmiR-137 (1×109) in complete medium for 24 h.
To determine whether EPC-EXs, EPC-EXsSC, and EPC-EXsmiR-137 were successfully transfected into neurons, the three types of EXs were labeled with a red fluorescence dye PKH 26 (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) according to the manufacturer’s protocol, and were then co-cultured with SH-SY5Y cells for 24 h. After that, the cells were washed with PBS once and fixed with 4% PFA for 10 min. After washing with PBS twice, the cells were stained with DAPI solution for 2 min and washed with PBS twice again. Fluorescence was observed using the EVOS cell imaging system. The fluorescence intensity of EXs in cells was analyzed using Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA).
To further explore the uptake mechanisms of EXs in neurons, four different inhibitors (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) of major EX uptake pathways were added prior to EPC-EXs co-incubation. Dynasore (80 μM, dynamin inhibitor), Genistein (200 μM, caveolin-mediated pathway inhibitor), Pitstop 2 (10 μM, clathrin-dependent pathway inhibitor), and Ly294002 (5 μM, macropinocytosis inhibitor) were diluted with complete medium and co-incubated with the neurons for 25 min, and the cells were then co-incubated with EPC-EXs labeled with PKH 26 in complete medium for 24 h. Fluorescent images were taken using the EVOS cell imaging system and analyzed with Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA).
Nanoparticle tracking analysis
The NanoSight NS300 (Malvern Instruments, Malvern, UK) was used to analyze the size and concentration of EXs. The collected EXs in each group were first resuspended with 100 μl PBS and then separated into 10 μl aliquots of the suspension and diluted 1 in 100 with PBS (990 μl). The PBS was filtered through a 20 nm-filter. Subsequently, the samples were analyzed on the NanoSight NS300. Three 30-second videos were taken with a frame rate of 30 frames per second. The results were analyzed using the NTA 3.0 software (Malvern Instruments, Malvern, UK) on a frame-by-frame basis.
Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis
Total RNA was extracted from EPCs, EPC-EXs, and SH-SY5Y cells in each group using Trizol (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). To quantify the miR-137 levels, reverse transcription (RT) reactions were performed using the PrimeScriptTM RT reagent kit (TaKaRa, Japan), and PCR reactions were performed using SYBR Premix EX TaqTM II kit (TaKaRa, Japan). The RT primer for miR-137 was as follows: 5′-GTCGTATCCAGTGCAGGGTCCGAGGTATTCGCACTGGATACGACATTATC-3′, the forward primer was: 5′-GCGCGCTTATTGCTTAAGAATAC-3′, the reverse primer was: 5′- GTGCAGGGTCCGAGGT-3′. U6 was used as an endogenous control; the forward primer for U6 was: 5′-CTCGCTTCGGCAGCACA-3′, the reverse primer was: 5′-AACGCTTCACGAATTTGCGT-3′. Relative expression of miR-137 was normalized to U6, and the results were calculated using the 2-ΔΔCT method.
Cell viability
The cell viability in every group was measured with an MTT (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) assay. The cells were seeded into 96-well plates at a concentration of 2×103 cells/well containing 100 μL of complete medium. After co-incubation, MTT solution (20 μL, 5 mg/ml) was added to each well and incubated at 37°C for 4 h. Then 150 μL of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) was added to each well and incubated at 37°C for 20 min. The results were measured on a microplate reader (BioTek, USA). The optical density (OD) was read at 490 nm according to the manufacturer’s protocol, and each group had triplicate wells.
Apoptosis Assay
After 24 h of co-culture, neurons were detached for the apoptosis assay using the PI/Annexin V stain (BD Biosciences, CA, USA) method, according to the manufacturer’s protocol. The cells in each group were stained with PI dye (10 μL) and Annexin V dye (5 μL) for 15 min at room temperature. Then, the results were analyzed with Accur C6 Plus flow cytometry (BD Biosciences, CA, USA). The apoptotic index was calculated as follows: Annexin V+/PI− cells/total cells × 100%[22].
Dihydroethidium staining
The intracellular ROS production was determined using dihydroethidium (DHE) (Sigma-Aldrich, MO, USA) staining as previously reported[23]. The result was analyzed using flow cytometry. Data are expressed as fold of control in fluorescent intensity.
Mitochondrial membrane potential assay
The mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) of neurons in each group was measured using the lipophilic cationic dye JC-1 (1:1000, Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA) according to our previously published method[15]. In brief, after co-incubation, neurons were washed with PBS and incubated with the JC-1 staining probe (2 μM in complete medium) for 30 min at 37°C. The cells were then washed with PBS and observed under a fluorescence microscope (EVOS; Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). The level of cellular fluorescence intensity was analyzed using Image J (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA). The relative MMP was calculated as the ratio of J-aggregate to monomer (590/520 nm). The results are expressed as fold of control cells. The micrographs were taken with the same gain/intensity with the same threshold. Researchers blinded to the grouping information performed the analysis.
ATP content
The ATP content in each group was detected with the ATP Assay Kit (Abcam, Cambridge, UK). Briefly, cells were harvested after co-incubation and washed with cold PBS and then resuspended in 100 μl of ATP Assay Buffer and centrifuged at 13000 g for 5 min. The supernatants were transferred to new tubes, and the ATP reaction mixtures were prepared according to the manufacturer’s protocol. The optional OD of 570 nm was used on a microplate reader (BioTek, USA). The ATP content (nmol) was calculated against the standard curve.
Glutathione content
Glutathione (GSH) content in the cells was measured with the GSH-GloTM Glutathione Assay (Madison, WI, USA). Cells were seeded into a 96-well plate and different groups were tagged. After co-incubation, the culture medium in the wells was carefully removed; then 100 μl of prepared 1X GSH-Glo Reagent was added to each well and incubated at room temperature for 30 min. After that, 100 μl of reconstituted Luciferin Detection Reagent was added to each well of a 96-well plate and incubated at room temperature for 15 min. Luminescence was measured using a microplate reader (BioTex, VT, USA). The results were calculated by subtracting the luminescence of the negative control reactions from that of GSH-containing reactions.
Iron stain assay
Iron deposition in SH-SY5Y cells of each group was detected with an Iron Stain Kit (Sigma–Aldrich, MO, USA). According to the manufacturer’s protocol, the fixed cells were stained with Iron Staining Solution and then Pararosanline Solution. Micrographs were taken using an Olympus DP74 microscope (Olympus Co., Tokyo, Japan). The quantitative analysis of the relative iron-stained area was performed using Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA).
Lipid peroxide fluorescence staining
Accumulation of lipid peroxide in cells was determined using the Image-iT Lipid Peroxidation Kit (Molecular Probes, OR, USA). Briefly, cells were seeded in a 6-well plate at a density of 5×104 and incubated for 24 h at 37°C. After co-incubation, the staining solution (10 μM) was added to the cells and incubated for 30 min at 37°C. Then, the cells were fixed with 4% PFA solution and counterstained with DAPI (1 μm/ml, Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). Micrographs were taken using the EVOS cell imaging system (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA). The fluorescence ratio of Texas Red / FITC revealed lipid peroxidation and was analyzed with Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA).
Western blot
The cells were homogenized in ice-cold lysis buffer (Thermo Fisher Scientific, MA, USA) for protein extraction. The total protein concentration was determined using the BCA protein assay (Bio-Rad, CA, USA). After electrophoresis, the protein samples were transferred to a 0.45 μm polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. The membrane was blocked in 5% non-fat milk for 1 h at room temperature and incubated with primary antibodies at 4°C overnight. The primary antibodies included glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4, 1:500, Sigma–Aldrich, MO, USA), cleaved caspase-3 (1:1000, Santa Cruz, TX, USA), cytochrome C (Cyt-C, 1:1000, Abcam, Cambridge, UK), COX2 (1:500, Abcam, Cambridge, UK), PGE2 (1:500, Bioss, MA, USA), glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH; 1:200, Santa Cruz, TX, USA), and β-actin (1:4000, Sigma–Aldrich, MO, USA). The membrane was then incubated with anti-rabbit or anti-mouse horse radish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated secondary antibodies for 1 h at room temperature, and protein bands were visualized with the Odyssey Infrared Imaging System (Licor Biosciences, Lincoln, NE, USA). Relative intensity was analyzed with Image J software (Image J 1.4, NIH, USA), and β-actin or GAPDH were used as endogenous controls.
Statistical analysis
Data are presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD). We compared every two groups with a two-tailed Student’s t-test followed by Welch’s correction. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparisons among multiple groups. Bonferroni or Dunn’s post hoc analyses were used to determine where differences occurred. All analyses were carried out using GraphPad Prism 5.0 Software (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA). The criterion for statistical significance was P <0.05.