Antioxidant role of microvesicles, activated by genistein, in stem cells

Intercellular communication is an essential hallmark of multicellular organisms. Microvesicles (MVs), which are released from and taken up by most types of cells are involved in intercellular communication. The nutrients we ingest from food contact with immune cells in the bloodstream and can promote the formation of MVs. Some foods contain molecules with regulatory activity, such as genistein, a polyphenol found in soy. We aimed to study the effects of MVs released from genistein-treated immune cells on dental pulp stem cells (DPSC). We obtained peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 5 young women (aged 18–25). Cells were cultured and treated with 0.5 μM genistein or 0.01% DMSO as control. After 48 h, the MVs were isolated by ultracentrifugation and co-incubated with DPSC for 48 h. Then the DPSC were treated with 130 μM of H202 for 24 h. After this period, we analysed cell viability, mRNA expression, and malondialdehyde. Incubating DPSC with MVs isolated from cultures of PBMC treated with genistein protected DPSC from lysis induced by H202. This may be explained because MVs induced the expression of MnSOD and catalase. To conclude, MVs secreted by genistein-treated mononuclear cells exert a protective effect against oxidative stress in DPSC.