mTOR/STAT‐3 pathway mediates mesenchymal stem cell–secreted hepatocyte growth factor protective effects against lipopolysaccharide‐induced vascular endothelial barrier dysfunction and apoptosis

Abstract Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) protect the endothelial barrier complex and survival, implicated in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI) via paracrine hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). However, the mechanism of HGF in endothelial regulation remains unclear. Here, we introduced a coculture protocol of pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) and overexpression of the HGF gene of MSCs (MSC‐HGF). Immunofluorescence and endothelial permeability analysis revealed that MSC‐HGF protected endothelial tight junction protein occludin expression and attenuated cellular permeability as well as endothelial apoptosis. To investigate the novel mechanism mammalian TOR (mTOR)/ signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT‐3) signaling in HGF protective effects against endothelial barrier and apoptosis, we used recombinant mouse HGF in endothelial cells. In addition, we used mTOR inhibitor rapamycin to inhibit the mTOR pathway. Our study demonstrated that rapamycin decreased the protective effects of HGF on the endothelium by decreasing tight junction protein occludin expression and cell proliferation, and raising lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced endothelial permeability, endothelial cell injury factors ET‐1 and vWF. Similarly, the protective effects of HGF on reducing endothelial barrier and apoptosis were weakened when PMVECs were treated with the STAT‐3 inhibitor S3I‐201. Moreover, mTOR/STAT‐3 were activated by HGF demonstrated as raising mTOR (Ser2448) and STAT3 (Ser727) phosphorylation proteins, leading to endothelial barrier improvement and survival. Reversely, rapamycin or S3I‐201 inhibited mTOR/STAT‐3 activation. Taken together, our findings highlight that the activation of the mTOR/STAT‐3 pathway provides novel mechanistic insights into MSC‐secreted HGF protection against LPS‐induced vascular endothelial permeability dysfunction and apoptosis, which contributes to decreasing microvascular loss and lung injury.