Abstract
Osteoarticular diseases (OD), such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are chronic autoimmune/inflammatory and age-related diseases that affect the joints and other organs for which the current therapies are not effective. Cell therapy using mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) is an alternative treatment due to their immunomodulatory and tissue differentiation capacity. Several experimental studies in numerous diseases have demonstrated the MSCs’ therapeutic effects. However, MSCs have shown heterogeneity, instability of stemness and differentiation capacities, limited homing ability, and various adverse responses such as abnormal differentiation and tumor formation. Recently, acellular therapy based on MSC secreted factors has raised the attention of several studies. It has been shown that molecules embedded in extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from MSCs, particularly those from the small fraction enriched in exosomes (sEVs), effectively mimic their impact in target cells. The biological effects of sEVs critically depend on their cargo, where sEVs-embedded microRNAs (miRNAs) are particularly relevant due to their crucial role in gene expression regulation. Therefore, in this review, we will focus on the effect of sEVs derived from MSCs and their miRNA cargo on target cells associated with the pathology of RA and OA and their potential therapeutic impact.
Highlights
An excessively prolonged imbalance of the immune system response can lead to a vast array of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders
This review summarizes the current knowledge of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) (MSC-sEVs) and their miRNA cargo as a potential and attractive substitute for treating autoimmune/inflammatory and degenerative disorders
As mentioned in the previous sections, MSC-sEVs arise as a potential cell-free based therapy that can reduce the risks associated with MSC
Summary
An excessively prolonged imbalance of the immune system response can lead to a vast array of inflammatory and autoimmune disorders. Another study reported that miR-155 levels are significantly upregulated in human OA cartilage biopsies and FIGURE 1 | MSCs release sEVs with a miRNAs cargo that regulate gene expression by targeting transcription factors associated to different processes in osteoarticular diseases. These miRNA can be used to develop new and effective therapies for OA and RA. More work needs to be done concerning the full effect of miRNAs both in target cells and other types of cells to assess the safety of the therapeutic application of miRNAs
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
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
