Published online Jun 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.116526
Revised: December 31, 2025
Accepted: March 25, 2026
Published online: June 26, 2026
Processing time: 208 Days and 23.4 Hours
Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious complication in pregnancy. It is one of the primary causes of maternal and perinatal mortality. Human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from human umbilical cord blood (hucbMSCs) are both perinatal stem cells, capable of expressing characteristic stem cell surface markers. MSC-derived exosomes (MSCs-exos) exhibit functional properties comparable to those of MSCs, while offering advantages such as greater biological stability and the ability to circumvent potential complications associated with MSC-based therapy. This study utilized hAEC-derived exosomes (hAECs-exos) and hucbMSC-derived exosomes (hucbMSCs-exos) to treat preeclamptic rats and investigate their therapeutic effects.
To investigate the therapeutic effects of hAECs-exos and hucbMSCs-exos on PE in rats.
Thirty-two pregnant rats were divided into four groups (normal pregnancy, PE, and two exosome-treated groups; n = 8). The PE model was induced by L-arginine methyl ester. From gestation day 12, the treatment groups received hAECs-exos or hucbMSCs-exos for 7 days, while controls received normal saline. Blood pressure, urinary protein, fetal/placental weight, and tissue analyses were performed. Quantitative data are expressed as the mean ± SD. Differences among multiple groups were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by the LSD-t test for pairwise comparisons. A P value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Compared to the normal pregnancy group, rats in the PE group exhibited significantly elevated blood pressure and 24-hour urinary protein levels, indicating successful model establishment. Furthermore, the PE group showed significantly increased levels of interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1, and malondialdehyde, along with decreased fetal/placental weight, levels of interleukin-10, placental growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, superoxide dismutase, and placental CD31 expression (P < 0.05). Treatment with both exosomes significantly reversed all these alterations compared to the PE group (P < 0.05). Histological analysis further confirmed that the treatments markedly alleviated renal and placental pathological damage induced by PE.
This study demonstrates that both hAECs-exos and hucbMSCs-exos have therapeutic effects in rats with PE, po
Core Tip: Preeclampsia (PE) is a serious obstetric syndrome, and effective therapeutic options are required urgently. This study demonstrates that exosomes derived from human amniotic epithelial cells and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells can function as innovative cell-free agents. Treatment with these exosomes effectively ameliorated key pathological features, including hypertension, proteinuria, and placental damage, in a rat model of PE. The underlying mechanisms involve multi-target modulation of angiogenic and inflammatory pathways. These findings highlight the clinical translation potential of exosomes derived from human amniotic epithelial cells and umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells as novel therapeutic strategies for PE.