Proteomic Characterization of Cardioprotective Human Acellular Amniotic Fluid

Amniotic fluid-derived
products are a promising resource for cell
therapy and tissue engineering due to their anti-inflammatory, angiogenic,
and antifibrotic properties. Human amniotic fluid (hAF) has been used
in medical applications such as wound healing, skin disorders, and
ophthalmic conditions. Recently, we demonstrated that hAF is an effective
treatment for myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in adult rats.
However, the protein composition of full-term acellular hAF has remained
poorly characterized. To uncover the biologically active components
underlying hAF’s cardioprotective effects, we conducted a global
proteomic analysis of hAF collected from six patients at full-term
cesarean sections. Previously shown to improve cardiac function in
ischemic rats, these samples were analyzed by using tandem mass spectrometry.
We identified 657 proteins, including 148 unique to the deep learning
platform Inferys. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that these proteins
are involved in immunity, inflammatory responses, cell adhesion, and
apoptotic signaling pathways. In addition, these proteins were highly
modified, with methylation and deamidation being the most abundant
modifications. This study represents the first mass-spectrometry-based
characterization of full-term, acellular hAF, suggesting that hAF
offers a wide array of immune-modulating proteins working together
to provide robust cardioprotection and a valuable treatment for ischemia-reperfusion
injury.