Liu N, Wan XX, Yan WT, Xiong K. L-arginine: A promising metabolite in enhancing the protective effects of adipose-derived stem cells against ischemic pathologies. World J Stem Cells 2025; 17(8): 111497 [DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i8.111497]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Kun Xiong, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, No. 172 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China. xiongkun2001@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Cell Biology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Stem Cells. Aug 26, 2025; 17(8): 111497 Published online Aug 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i8.111497
L-arginine: A promising metabolite in enhancing the protective effects of adipose-derived stem cells against ischemic pathologies
Na Liu, Xin-Xing Wan, Wei-Tao Yan, Kun Xiong
Na Liu, Wei-Tao Yan, Kun Xiong, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Xin-Xing Wan, Department of Endocrinology, Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China
Author contributions: Liu N wrote the original draft; Wan XX and Yan WT reviewed and edited it; Xiong K was the senior author and provided supervision and validation of the writing. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82303047, No. 82372507, No. 82172196, and No. 32401046; and Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province, No. 2022JJ40801.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Kun Xiong, PhD, Professor, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Central South University, No. 172 Tongzipo Road, Changsha 410013, Hunan Province, China. xiongkun2001@163.com
Received: July 1, 2025 Revised: July 31, 2025 Accepted: August 7, 2025 Published online: August 26, 2025 Processing time: 51 Days and 12.6 Hours
Abstract
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) and adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), two principal subtypes of mesenchymal stem cells with multilineage regenerative potential, have emerged as promising therapeutic strategies for various diseases. While BMSCs and ADSCs exhibit distinct functional profiles tailored to different therapeutic applications, emerging evidence suggests that ADSCs may be a more promising approach for treating ischemic pathologies, including myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, and peripheral artery disease, in comparison with BMSCs. However, the precise molecular mechanisms by which ADSCs enhance the therapeutic outcomes in these diseases remain poorly understood. In this editorial, we comment on the article by Li et al, which systematically compares the therapeutic efficacy of ADSCs and BMSCs derived from the same elderly patients with coronary heart disease and explores the underlying mechanism from a metabolic perspective. This study proposes that the metabolite L-arginine in ADSCs isolated from elderly patients promotes angiogenesis and protects against apoptosis in a hypoxic and ischemic microenvironment, thereby enhancing myocardial repair following infarction. These findings not only highlight the metabolic plasticity of ADSCs but also position L-arginine as a pivotal therapeutic effector in coronary heart disease. Given the novel and crucial role of L-arginine in ischemic heart diseases, further exploration of L-arginine in ADSCs (particularly those derived from elderly individuals) is essential, including its roles in angiogenesis, cell death, and the potential therapeutic implications in other ischemic pathologies. Additionally, further investigation into additional metabolites in ADSCs is warranted to enhance the therapeutic potential of ADSCs in ischemic pathologies.
Core Tip: Ischemic pathologies impose global health challenges and economic burden due to limited therapeutic efficacy. Li et al revealed that the metabolite L-arginine, enriched in adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) obtained from elderly patients, could enhance the therapeutic efficacy of ADSCs by promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting cell apoptosis in ischemic conditions. This research underscores the significance of L-arginine for ADSCs-based therapy from a metabolic perspective, highlighting the potential of combining metabolic modulation with ADSCs therapy to improve clinical outcomes in ischemic diseases, particularly in aging populations. However, additional clinical studies are essential to validate the clinical application of these findings.
