EVs serve as versatile messengers with substantial potential for therapeutic applications. As advancements in understanding their biology and function progress, increasingly innovative strategies are anticipated to emerge, leveraging their capabilities for regenerative medicine and immunomodulation.
FREMONT, CA: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small, membrane-bound particles secreted by nearly all cell types. These vesicles function as intercellular messengers, transporting diverse molecules—such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids—between cells. This mode of communication is pivotal in numerous physiological and pathological processes, including tissue regeneration and immune system regulation.
EVs have emerged as promising therapeutic agents for tissue regeneration, offering a novel approach to delivering growth factors, cytokines, and bioactive molecules to injured tissues. This facilitates cell proliferation, differentiation, and migration, enhancing repair and regeneration. Preclinical models have demonstrated the regenerative potential of EVs across various fields. For instance, EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have shown significant promise in cardiac repair following myocardial infarction by reducing infarct size, improving cardiac function, and promoting angiogenesis. In neural regeneration, EVs from neural stem cells (NSCs) have been found to enhance neuronal survival, facilitate axonal regeneration, and promote functional recovery after spinal cord injury or stroke. Similarly, EVs derived from bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) can stimulate bone formation and facilitate the repair of bone defects.
Beyond regeneration, EVs play a crucial role in immune modulation. They can activate immune cells, as seen with dendritic cell (DC)-derived EVs that stimulate T cell responses, thereby contributing to adaptive immunity.
