Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized membrane vesicles secreted by cells. EVs serve as a mediator for cell-to-cell communication by regulating the exchange of genetic materials and proteins between the donor and surrounding cells. Current studies have explored the therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells-derived EVs (MSC-EVs) for the treatment of infectious diseases extensively. MSC-EVs can eliminate the pathogen, regulate immunity, and repair tissue injury in contagious diseases through the secretion of antimicrobial factors, inhibiting the replication of pathogens and activating the phagocytic function of macrophages. MSC-EVs can also repair tissue damage associated with the infection by upregulating the levels of anti-inflammatory factors, downregulating the pro-inflammatory factors, and participating in the regulation of cellular biological behaviors. The purpose of this mini-review is to discuss in detail the various mechanisms of MSC-EV treatment for infectious diseases including respiratory infections, sepsis, and intestinal infections, as well as challenges for implementing MSC-EVs from bench to bedside.
Highlights
Infectious diseases have been a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide; respiratory infections and pneumonia are among the major causes of global death (Sharma et al, 2021b)
Compared with Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), MSC-extracellular vesicles (EVs) possess hypoimmunogenic properties, have low tumorigenesis, and are more stable (Trounson and McDonald, 2015). In this mini-review, we briefly summarize the function of exosomes and discuss their potential role in therapeutic regimens in infectious diseases, including respiratory infections, sepsis, and intestinal infections in recent years
Since MSCs have limited engraftment and differentiation efficacy, high risk of tumorigenicity, and unstable ability (Eggenhofer et al, 2014), researchers paid more attention to MSC-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) as a new candidate cell-free treatment for Acute lung injury (ALI)/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Both other researchers and we demonstrated that intratracheal administration of MSC-EVs showed therapeutic effects in hyperoxia-induced lung injury, revealing that MSC-EVs could ameliorate impaired alveolarization in both short-term and longterm bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) models and activate M2 macrophages (Porzionato et al, 2019, 2021; You et al, 2020)
Summary
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized membrane vesicles secreted by cells. EVs serve as a mediator for cell-to-cell communication by regulating the exchange of genetic materials and proteins between the donor and surrounding cells. MSC-EVs can eliminate the pathogen, regulate immunity, and repair tissue injury in contagious diseases through the secretion of antimicrobial factors, inhibiting the replication of pathogens and activating the phagocytic function of macrophages. MSC-EVs can repair tissue damage associated with the infection by upregulating the levels of anti-inflammatory factors, downregulating the pro-inflammatory factors, and participating in the regulation of cellular biological behaviors. The purpose of this mini-review is to discuss in detail the various mechanisms of MSC-EV treatment for infectious diseases including respiratory infections, sepsis, and intestinal infections, as well as challenges for implementing MSC-EVs from bench to bedside
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