MicroRNA-206 down-regulated human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells alleviate cognitive decline in D-galactose-induced aging mice

Background Non-pathological cognitive decline is a neurodegenerative condition associated with brain aging owing to epigenetic changes, telomere shortening, stem cells exhaustion, or altered differentiation. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have shown excellent therapeutic prospects on the hallmarks of aging. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of hUCMSCs with down-regulated miRNA-206 (hUCMSCs anti-miR-206) on cognitive decline and the underlying mechanism. Methods After daily subcutaneous injection of D-gal (500 mg/kg/d) for 8 weeks, 17-week-old male C57BL/6 J mice were stem cells transplanted by lateral ventricular localization injection. During the 10-day rest period, were tested the behavioral experiments applied to cognitive behavior in the hippocampus. And then, the mice were sacrificed for sampling to complete the molecular and morphological experiments. Results Our behavioral experiments of open field test (OFT), new object recognition test (NOR), and Y-maze revealed that D-galactose (D-gal)-induced aging mice treated with hUCMSCs anti-miR-206 had no obvious spontaneous activity disorder and had recovery in learning and spatial memory ability compared with the PBS-treated group. The hUCMSCs anti-miR-206 reconstituted neuronal physiological function in the hippocampal regions of the aging mice with an increase of Nissl bodies and the overexpression of Egr-1, BDNF, and PSD-95. Conclusion This study first reports that hUCMSCs anti-miR-206 could provide a novel stem cell-based antiaging therapeutic approach.