Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most common causes of death and disability. The effective modulation of complicated microenvironment, regeneration of injured spinal cord tissue, and the functional recovery after SCI are still clinical challenges. Recently, macrophages-derived exosomes have shown great potential for various diseases due to their inflammation-targeting property. However, further modifications are needed to endow exosomes with the neural regenerative potential for SCI recovery. In the current study, a novel nanoagent (MEXI) is designed for SCI treatment by conjugating bioactive IKVAV peptides to the surface of M2macrophages-derived exosomes via an easy and rapid click chemistry method. In vitro, MEXI inhibits the inflammation by reprograming macrophages and promotes neuronal differentiation of neural stem cells. In vivo, engineered exosomes target the injured site of the spinal cord after tail vein injection. Furthermore, histological analysis reveals that MEXI improves motor functional recovery of SCI mice by reducing infiltration of macrophages, downregulating pro-inflammatory factors, and improving the regeneration of injured nervous tissues. Taken together, this study provides strong evidence for the significance of MEXI in SCI recovery.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.