# ADSC-Conditioned Medium Mitigates LPS-Induced Acute Lung Injury by Inhibiting Alveolar Macrophage Pyroptosis

**Authors:** Fan Yang, Jiachen Li, Ziyi Ren, Chuanyu Zhang, Mingwei Xing, Zhihui Jiao

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/cimb48030253 · 2026-02-26

## TL;DR

This study shows that a cell-free treatment derived from fat cells can reduce lung inflammation and injury in rats by preventing a specific type of immune cell death.

## Contribution

The study reveals that ADSC-CM mitigates ALI by inhibiting alveolar macrophage pyroptosis through TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and NLRP3 pathways.

## Key findings

- ADSC-CM reduced lung damage and systemic inflammation in LPS-induced ALI in rats.
- ADSC-CM inhibited pyroptosis in alveolar macrophages via suppression of TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB and NLRP3 pathways.
- Downregulation of TLR4 was a key mechanism behind the protective effects of ADSC-CM.

## Abstract

Acute lung injury (ALI) is characterized by overwhelming pulmonary inflammation and high mortality, yet specific pharmacological interventions remain critically limited. Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell-conditioned medium (ADSC-CM) represents a novel cell-free strategy with substantial therapeutic potential. This study investigated the protective effects of ADSC-CM in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. Systemic administration of ADSC-CM significantly attenuated pulmonary pathological damage, reduced systemic inflammatory cytokine levels, and inhibited pyroptosis within lung tissues. Mechanistically, in vitro studies using the NR8383 alveolar macrophage (AM) cell line revealed that ADSC-CM suppressed the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling axis and the NLRP3/Caspase-1/GSDMD-mediated pyroptotic cascade. These effects were primarily driven by the downregulation of TLR4 expression, although additional molecular targets likely contribute to this protective profile. Our findings highlight the therapeutic efficacy of ADSC-CM in modulating pyroptosis and inflammatory responses in AMs, providing a robust mechanistic rationale for developing ADSC-CM as a cell-free therapeutic platform for the management of ALI.

## Linked entities

- **Genes:** TLR4 (toll like receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 7099], MYD88 (MYD88 innate immune signal transduction adaptor) [NCBI Gene 4615], NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790], NLRP3 (NLR family pyrin domain containing 3) [NCBI Gene 114548], Caspase1 (caspase-1) [NCBI Gene 692604], GSDMD (gasdermin D) [NCBI Gene 79792]
- **Diseases:** acute lung injury (MONDO:0006502), ALI (MONDO:0006502)
- **Species:** Rattus norvegicus (taxon 10116), Mus musculus (taxon 10090)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Nfe2l2 (nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2, like 2) [NCBI Gene 18024] {aka Nrf2}, Nfkb1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 81736] {aka EBP-1, NF-kB, NFKB-p50, p50}, Tgfb1 (transforming growth factor, beta 1) [NCBI Gene 59086] {aka Tgfb}, Tirap (TIR domain containing adaptor protein) [NCBI Gene 680127], Cd14 (CD14 molecule) [NCBI Gene 60350], Il18 (interleukin 18) [NCBI Gene 29197] {aka IL-1 gamma, IL-18}, Ptprc (protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type, C) [NCBI Gene 24699] {aka CD45, L-CA, Lca, RT7, T200}, Lbp (lipopolysaccharide binding protein) [NCBI Gene 29469] {aka Bpifd2}, Casp1 (caspase 1) [NCBI Gene 25166] {aka Ice, Il1bc, p45}, Il1b (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 16176] {aka IL-1beta, Il-1b}, Il10 (interleukin 10) [NCBI Gene 25325] {aka IL10X, If2a}, S100a9 (S100 calcium binding protein A9) [NCBI Gene 94195] {aka Mrp14}, Ly96 (lymphocyte antigen 96) [NCBI Gene 448830] {aka MD-2, MD2}, Casp1 (caspase 1) [NCBI Gene 12362] {aka ICE, Il1bc}, Gsdmd (gasdermin D) [NCBI Gene 69146] {aka 1810036L03Rik, DF5L, Dfna5l, GsdmD-1, Gsdmdc1, M2-4}, Tnf (tumor necrosis factor) [NCBI Gene 24835] {aka RATTNF, TNF-alpha, Tnfa}, Tlr4 (toll-like receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 29260], Thy1 (Thy-1 cell surface antigen) [NCBI Gene 24832] {aka CD7}, Sirt1 (sirtuin 1) [NCBI Gene 93759] {aka SIR2L1, Sir2, Sir2a, Sir2alpha}, Mir182 (microRNA 182) [NCBI Gene 387177] {aka Mirn182, mir-182, mmu-mir-182}, Myd88 (MYD88, innate immune signal transduction adaptor) [NCBI Gene 301059], TLR4 (toll like receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 7099] {aka ARMD10, CD284, TLR-4, TOLL}, Il6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 24498] {aka ILg6, Ifnb2}, Il1b (interleukin 1 beta) [NCBI Gene 24494] {aka IL-1F2}, Nlrp3 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3) [NCBI Gene 287362] {aka Cias1}, Gapdh (glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase) [NCBI Gene 24383] {aka BARS-38, Gapd}, Pycard (PYD and CARD domain containing) [NCBI Gene 282817] {aka Asc}, Nlrp3 (NLR family, pyrin domain containing 3) [NCBI Gene 216799] {aka AGTAVPRL, AII/AVP, Cias1, FCAS, FCU, MWS}, Rnf138 (ring finger protein 138) [NCBI Gene 94196] {aka Rsd4, Trif}, Traf6 (TNF receptor-associated factor 6) [NCBI Gene 22034] {aka 2310003F17Rik, C630032O20Rik}, Gsdmd (gasdermin D) [NCBI Gene 315084] {aka Gsdmdc1}, Nox4 (NADPH oxidase 4) [NCBI Gene 50490]
- **Diseases:** ARDS (MESH:D012128), pulmonary insult (MESH:D008171), cytokine storm (MESH:D000080424), atelectasis (MESH:D001261), cytotoxicity (MESH:D064420), septic (MESH:D001170), Lung Injury (MESH:D055370), congestion (MESH:D002311), Pulmonary Inflammation (MESH:D011014), diabetic ulcers (MESH:D017719), hemorrhage (MESH:D006470), injury to (MESH:D014947), leukocytosis (MESH:D007964), edema (MESH:D004487), pulmonary fibrosis (MESH:D011658), Inflammation (MESH:D007249), ADSC-CM (MESH:D000092423), hypertrophy (MESH:D006984), embolic (MESH:D004617), chronic inflammatory pain (MESH:D059350), pulmonary edema (MESH:D011654), sepsis (MESH:D018805), ALI (MESH:D055371), cancer (MESH:D009369), AM (MESH:D055501)
- **Chemicals:** bleomycin (MESH:D001761), uranyl acetate (MESH:C005460), lipid (MESH:D008055), paraformaldehyde (MESH:C003043), sodium dodecyl sulfate (MESH:D012967), DAPI (MESH:C007293), eosin (MESH:D004801), Triton X-100 (MESH:D017830), ethanol (MESH:D000431), acetone (MESH:D000096), TAK-242 (MESH:C507035), calcium (MESH:D002118), streptomycin (MESH:D013307), CM (MESH:D003476), ADSC (-), Alizarin Red S (MESH:C004468), osmium tetroxide (MESH:D009993), polyacrylamide (MESH:C016679), glutaraldehyde (MESH:D005976), Chlojaponilactone B (MESH:C000620738), hematoxylin (MESH:D006416), CO2 (MESH:D002245), LPS (MESH:D008070), H&amp;E (MESH:D006371), penicillin (MESH:D010406), PBS (MESH:D007854), isoflurane (MESH:D007530), phosphate (MESH:D010710), paraffin (MESH:D010232), ROS (MESH:D017382), Oil Red O (MESH:C011049)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Rattus norvegicus (brown rat, species) [taxon 10116]
- **Cell lines:** NR8383 — Rattus norvegicus (Rat), Spontaneously immortalized cell line (CVCL_4396)

## Figures

6 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13025629/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC13025629