Objective: We aimed to investigate the regulatory effects of HMGB1/TLR4 signaling pathway on the expression of IL-10 and VEGF in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.
Methodology: Human JBMSCs were isolated and cultured. Then, HMGB1 was added into the JBMSCs culture medium, and the protein and mRNA expression levels of IL-10 and VEGF were assessed. Moreover, cells were pretreated with a specific TLR4 inhibitor (TAK-242), and the expression changes of IL-10 and VEGF were compared.
Results: Compared with the control group, exposure to HMGB1 in human JBMSCs up-regulated TLR4, IL-10, and VEGF secretion at both protein and mRNA levels (P<0. 05). In addition, the increased expression of IL-10 and VEGF could be restrained in TAK-242 group compared with the HMGB1 group (P<0.05).
Conclusions: The results indicated that HMGB1 activate TLR4 signaling pathway in Human JBMSCs, which plays a regulatory role in cytokines expression.