Editorial
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2024. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Mar 26, 2024; 16(3): 237-244
Published online Mar 26, 2024. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v16.i3.237
High glucose microenvironment and human mesenchymal stem cell behavior
Muhammad Abdul Mateen, Nouralsalhin Alaagib, Khawaja Husnain Haider
Muhammad Abdul Mateen, Nouralsalhin Alaagib, Basic Sciences, Sulaiman AlRajhi University, AlQaseem 52736, Saudi Arabia
Khawaja Husnain Haider, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Sulaiman AlRajhi Medical School, Al Bukairiyah 51941, Saudi Arabia
Author contributions: Alaagib N contributed to the apoptosis and supported the visual abstract; Mateen MA was involved in the mitochondrial membrane potential and visual abstract; Haider KH contributed to stem cells and overall write-up; All authors revised the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicting interests.
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: Khawaja Husnain Haider, BPharm, BSc, PhD, Chairman, Full Professor, Professor, Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, Sulaiman AlRajhi Medical School, PO Box 777, Al Bukairiyah 51941, Saudi Arabia. kh.haider@sr.edu.sa
Received: December 25, 2023
Peer-review started: December 25, 2023
First decision: January 11, 2024
Revised: January 11, 2024
Accepted: January 29, 2024
Article in press: January 29, 2024
Published online: March 26, 2024
Core Tip

Core Tip: High glucose (HG) conditions, seen in vitro as well as in diabetic patients, adversely affect stem cells by disrupting mammalian target of rapamycin-phosphoinositide 3-kinase-Akt signaling, resulting in reduced cell survival and increased apoptosis. A recent study of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) found dysregulation of this signaling pathway and defective mitochondrial membrane potential (MtMP) under HG conditions. This leads to decreased ATP production, heightened oxidative stress, and structural abnormalities, causing diminished cell survival. Altered mitochondrial NAD+/NADH redox state and disrupted mitochondrial homeostasis worsen the hostile microenvironment induced by HG exposure. These findings are a note of caution for using MSCs from hyperglycemic donors in cell-based therapy owing to their poor survival and proliferation rates. Future research targeting MtMP restoration may enhance the therapeutic efficacy of MSCs in hyperglycemic patients.