Rizal Azis, Wahyu Widowati, Rimonta Febby Gunanegara, Hanna Sari Widya Kusuma, Dwi Nur Triharsiwi, Dhanar Septyawan Hadiprasetyo, Marisca Evalina Gondokesumo, Nicholas Mars
Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a critical respiratory dysfunction triggered by intense inflammation, microvascular damage, and increased epithelial and pulmonary vascular permeability. Human Wharton’s jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJMSCs) possess regenerative and anti‐inflammatory activities through the cytokines, chemokines, and growth factor secretion. The development of anti‐inflammatory agents derived from hWJMSCs has become one of the therapeutic solutions. Instead of direct cell use of hWJMSCs, their conditioned medium (CM) provides a cell‐free approach that delivers bioactive factors while minimizing the risks associated with stem cell transplantation. This study aims to measure the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor‐α (VEGF‐α), epidermal growth factor‐β (EGF‐β), interleukin‐10 (IL‐10), and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) in CM‐hWJMSCs under non‐starvation and starvation conditions (24, 48 and 72 hours) using ELISA. The anti‐inflammatory potential of these factors was then analyzed through molecular docking with pro‐inflammatory cytokines. VEGF‐α, EGF‐β, IL‐10 and HGF levels were measured across all conditions. VEGF‐α ranged from 2590.37 to 3613.92 ng/mg protein; EGF‐β 347.01–504.43 ng/mg; IL‐10 302.59–729.28 pg/mg; and HGF 1747.20–2903.52 ng/mg. The molecular docking revealed strong binding between VEGF‐α, EGF‐β, IL‐10 and HGF with pro‐inflammatory cytokines, namely IL‐1β, IL‐6 and TNF‐α. VEGF‐α had the strongest bond with TNF‐α (–1162.3 kJ/mol), while EGF‐β formed the most hydrophobic and hydrogen interactions. The findings suggest that CM‐hWJMSCs, enriched with anti‐inflammatory and regenerative cytokines, may serve as a promising candidate for modulating the inflammatory pathways involved in ARDS pathogenesis. Longer starvation increased the secretion of VEGF‐α, EGF‐β, IL‐10 and HGF. These factors are known to promote angiogenesis, regulate immune responses, and protect against epithelial injury, thereby supporting the anti‐inflammatory and regenerative potential of hWJMSCs‐CM for ARDS therapy. Copyright © 2025 THE AUTHOR(S). This article is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution‐ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, 16424, Indonesia; Biomolecular and Biomedical Research Center, Bandung, Aretha Medika Utama, 40163, Indonesia; Faculty of Medicine, Maranatha Christian University, Bandung, 40164, Indonesia; Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, Cimahi, 40525, Indonesia; Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Surabaya, Surabaya, 60293, Indonesia; Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Science Education, Jakarta State University, East Jakarta, 13220, Indonesia
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