Effect of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes on Retinal Injury: A Review of Current Findings.

Raffaele Nuzzi,Paolo Caselgrandi,Alessandro Vercelli,Stefania Cantore

doi:10.1155/2020/8883616

Abstract

In recent years, various studies have followed in the literature on the therapeutic effects of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) on damage in retinal cells. The evidence that MSCs exert their regenerative and damage reduction effect in a paracrine way, through the release of soluble factors and exosomes, is now consolidated. Exosomes are microvesicles formed by a double layer of phospholipid membrane and carry proteins and RNA, through which they play a therapeutic role on target cells. Scientific research has recently focused on the use of exosomes derived from MSC in various models of retinal damage in vitro and in vivo as they, compared to MSCs, have similar functions and at the same time have different advantages such as greater stability and handling, a lower chance of immunological rejection and no risk of malignant transformation. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge on the therapeutic use of exosomes derived from MSCs in retinal damage and to stimulate new clinical perspectives regarding their use.

Highlights

Retinal damage is a consequence of many acute and chronic ocular diseases
The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge on the therapeutic use of Exosomes’ functions (i) Disposal of unnecessary proteins (ii) Antigens presentation (iii) Inflammation regulation (iv) Immunological responses (v) Oncogenes or pathogens spread (vi) Neuroprotection (vii) Regeneration processes (viii) Apoptosis reduction (ix) Angiogenesis processes exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in retinal damage and to stimulate new clinical perspectives regarding their use
The results demonstrate that the intravitreal administration of exosomes derived from MSCs, unlike the exosomes of other cells, inhibit the inflammatory reaction, limit the progression of the damage, reduce apoptosis, and improve visual function

Summary

Introduction

Retinal damage is a consequence of many acute and chronic ocular diseases. It is represented by a morphological and functional alteration of the retinal nerve cells and results in a visual impairment, most of the time irreversible [1]. MSCs are multipotent cells, equipped with self-renewal, and it is possible to isolate them from different mesenchymal tissues such as bone marrow, adipose tissue, dental pulp, cord blood, and others [4,5,6]. For these reasons, MSCs have been successfully tested as a treatment for retinal damage, inflammation, and degeneration [7,8,9,10,11,12]. MSCs are able to migrate to damaged tissues and create a microenvironment responsible for tissue repair through the release of cytokines, inflammation mediators, extracellular matrix components, and proteins with antimicrobial function [13]

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Discussion

Conclusion