# Diabetic stroke cardiac dysfunction; treatment with CD133+Exosomes

> **NIH NIH R01** · HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM · 2021 · $461,609

## Abstract

Cardiovascular complications are primarily responsible for the high morbidity and mortality in people with
stroke and diabetes mellitus (DM). Cardiovascular diseases are roughly three times higher in patients with
neurological deficits than in patients without neurological diseases. DM is a prominent risk factor for
cardiovascular diseases and cerebral ischemic stroke. Our preliminary data show that ischemic stroke and
type two DM (T2DM) each induces cardiac dysfunction, while T2DM animals subjected to ischemic stroke
exhibit profound cardiac dysfunction compared to non-stroke T2DM mice or non-T2DM stroke mice. Therefore,
there is a compelling need to develop therapeutic approaches specifically designed not only to reduce
neurological deficits, but also to decrease cardiac dysfunction after stroke with diabetes. Our preliminary data
indicate that treatment of stroke in T2DM mice with exosomes derived from human umbilical cord blood
isolated CD133+/KDR+ cells (CD133+Exo) 3 days after stroke not only improves neurological and cognitive
outcome, but also significantly improves cardiac function and increases heart microRNA (miR)126 and miR29b
expression. In a novel and clinically relevant approach, based on our robust preliminary data, we propose to
investigate the underlying cardioprotective therapeutic mechanisms of CD133+Exo treatment of stroke in T2DM
mice, and we will test the hypothesis that miR126 and miR29b mediate CD133+Exo-induced cardiac protective
effects in male and female mice in vitro and in vivo. Two Aims are proposed. Aim 1: To investigate the effect of
cerebral ischemic stroke and stroke-related factors (age, sex and T2DM) on cardiac and neurological function
in mice. To test the therapeutic effects of CD133+Exo treatment of T2DM-stroke in male, female and aged mice,
time window, dose response, multiple doses and combination with anti-diabetic drug (Metformin) studies will be
performed. Aim 2: To investigate the mechanism of CD133+Exo induced cardiac protective effects in male and
female T2DM-stroke mice in vitro and in vivo. We will focus on miR126 and miR29b, and will test: 1) whether
CD133+Exo treatment of T2DM-stroke increases heart and serum miR126 or miR29b levels; 2) whether
increasing miR126 or/and miR29b expression in heart or/and serum mediates the CD133+Exo induced cardiac
beneficial effects in male and female T2DM-stroke mice; 3) whether the miR126/Spred-1 and/or the
miR29b/DPP4 signaling pathways mediate CD133+Exo treatment induced myocardiocyte protection of cultured
cardiomyocytes. A major significance of our investigations is that it opens up important and novel ways to
understand how exogenously administered CD133+Exo communicate with and alter heart cells by means of miR
delivery to thereby activate endogenous cardiac protective events. This proposal is highly clinically relevant
and if successful, it will significantly impact the treatment of stroke, diabetes, and cardiac dysfunction.
Importantly, this proposal wi...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10242634
- **Project number:** 5R01HL143432-04
- **Recipient organization:** HENRY FORD HEALTH SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** MICHAEL CHOPP
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $461,609
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-06-01 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10242634

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10242634, Diabetic stroke cardiac dysfunction; treatment with CD133+Exosomes (5R01HL143432-04). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10242634. Licensed CC0.

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