EFFECTS OF EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES FROM MESENCHYMAL STROMAL CELLS PRECONDITIONED TO HYPOXIA IN CARDIOMYOCYTES IN EXPERIMENTAL PULMONARY ARTERIAL HYPERTENSION

Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH) is a chronic disease, characterized by increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which causes overload in the right ventricle, leading to heart failure and death. The cardiomyocytes develop a hyperproliferative and apoptosis-resistant phenotype and the available treatments focus on vasodilation, with little effect on cardiomyocyte remodeling. Although preclinical studies have shown the potential for the paracrine effects of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) in halting the progression of PAH, there are limitations on the number of MSCs administered. Hypoxia preconditioning can optimize the performance of bone marrow MSCs and their extracellular vesicles (EVs) as it better reflects the physiological niche from which they are obtained.