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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Isolation, Characterization, and Therapeutic Application of Extracellular Vesicles from Cultured Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Published on: September 23, 2022
Application of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles for Stroke: Biodistribution and MicroRNA Study
Gyeong Joon Moon1,2, Ji Hee Sung1,3, Dong Hee Kim1,3,4
1Translational and Stem Cell Research Laboratory on Stroke, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, 06351, South Korea.
Abstract:
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exert their therapeutic capability through a variety of bioactive substances, including trophic factors, microRNAs, and extracellular vesicles (EVs) in infarcted tissues. We therefore hypothesized that MSC-derived EVs (MSC-EVs) possess therapeutic molecules similar to MSCs. Moreover, given their nature as nanosized and lipid-shielded particles, the intravenous infusion of MSC-EVs would be advantageous over MSCs as a safer therapeutic approach. In this study, we investigated the biodistribution, therapeutic efficacy, and mode of action of MSC-EVs in a rat stroke model. MSC-EVs successfully stimulated neurogenesis and angiogenesis in vivo. When compared to the MSC-treated group, rats treated with MSC-EVs exhibited greater behavioral improvements than the control group (p < 0.05). Our biodistribution study using fluorescence-labeled MSC-EVs and MSCs demonstrated that the amounts of MSC-EVs in the infarcted hemisphere increased in a dose-dependent manner, and were rarely found in the lung and liver. In addition, MSC-EVs were highly inclusive of various proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs) associated with neurogenesis and/or angiogenesis compared to fibro-EVs. We further analyzed those miRNAs and found that miRNA-184 and miRNA-210 were essential for promoting neurogenesis and angiogenesis of MSC-EVs, respectively. MSC-EVs represent an ideal alternative to MSCs for stroke treatment, with similar medicinal capacity but an improved safety profile that overcomes cell-associated limitations in stem cell therapy.
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