Paracrine release from nonviral engineered adipose-derived stem cells promotes endothelial cell survival and migration in vitro

Stem cells hold great potential for therapeutic angiogenesis due to their ability to directly contribute to new vessel formation or secrete paracrine signals. Adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a particularly attractive autologous cell source for therapeutic angiogenesis due to their ease of isolation and relative abundance. Gene therapy may be used to further enhance the therapeutic efficacy of ADSCs by overexpressing desired therapeutic factors. Here, we developed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-overexpressing ADSCs utilizing poly(β-amino esters) (PBAEs), a hydrolytically biodegradable polymer, and examined the effects of paracrine release from nonviral modified ADSCs on the angiogenic potential of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. PBAE polymeric vectors delivered DNA into ADSCs with high efficiency and low cytotoxicity, leading to an over 3-fold increase in VEGF production by ADSCs compared with Lipofectamine 2000. Paracrine release from PBAE/VEGF-transfected ADSCs enhanced HUVEC viability and decreased HUVEC apoptosis under hypoxia. Further, paracrine release from PBAE/VEGF-transfected ADSCs significantly enhanced HUVEC migration and tube formation, two critical cellular processes for effective angiogenesis. Our results demonstrate that genetically engineered ADSCs using biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles may provide a promising autologous cell source for therapeutic angiogenesis in treating cardiovascular diseases.