Exosomal miRNA-1231 derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells inhibits the activity of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a highly malignant tumor with increased morbidity and mortality, which is difficult to diagnose and cure in the clinic. Through secreting exosomes containing biological molecules, including diverse RNAs and proteins, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) influence the immunity, inflammation, tumor environment, and cancer metastasis. In this study, low expression of miRNA-1231 (miR-1231) in exosomes derived from the peripheral blood was significantly correlated with the TNM stage of PC, suggesting the potential inhibitory effect of exosomal miR-1231 on PC occurrence and development. The proliferation, migration, invasion, and adhesion to the matrix of PC cells BxPC-3 and PANC-1 were negatively regulated by exosomes derived from the supernatants of BM-MSCs that transfected with miR-1231 oligonucleotides. Simultaneously, tumor growth in vivo was seriously restrained in BALB/C nude mice by tail vein injection with exosomes originated from BM-MSCs that transfected with miR-1231 mimics. The exosomes extracted from BM-MSCs with high level of miR-1231 inhibit the activity of PC, providing the potential application for developing new and efficient medicine for cancer therapy, especially for PC treatment. The exosomal miR-1231 of peripheral blood may also be a potential indicator for PC diagnosis in the future.