Therapeutic Applications of Extracellular Vesicles for Myocardial Repair
Chunping Liu1,2, Nathan Bayado3, Dongyue He1
1State Key Laboratory of Dampness Syndrome of Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, China.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease treatments fail to prevent heart cell loss. This review explores exosomes (extracellular vesicles) as a promising therapeutic strategy for myocardial repair and regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Biotechnology
Background:
- Cardiovascular disease remains a leading global cause of mortality.
- Current treatments for coronary artery stenosis and blockage prolong survival but do not fully address irreversible myocardial damage and heart cell loss post-myocardial infarction.
- The lack of effective myocardial restoration methods presents a significant clinical challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the progress and challenges of using extracellular vesicles (EVs) in myocardial repair.
- To explore recent developments in EV-loading systems and their application in cardiac treatment.
- To discuss the potential of engineering modifications for EV-based diagnosis and therapy of myocardial repair.
Main Methods:
- Literature review focusing on extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the context of myocardial repair.
- Analysis of EV properties, including their role as biological signal transmitters.
- Examination of EV-loading systems and engineering modifications for therapeutic applications.
Main Results:
- Exosomes, a type of EV, are recognized for their low toxicity, minimal immunogenicity, and good permeability, making them attractive for drug delivery.
- EVs are actively secreted and act as crucial mediators of intercellular communication within the heart.
- Recent advancements highlight the potential of engineered EVs for targeted delivery and enhanced therapeutic efficacy.
Conclusions:
- Extracellular vesicles (EVs) show significant promise as a novel therapeutic approach for myocardial repair.
- Further research into EV-loading systems and engineering modifications is crucial for optimizing their diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
- Addressing the challenges in EV-based therapies is key to overcoming the limitations of current cardiovascular disease treatments.
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of human death worldwide. Drug thrombolysis, percutaneous coronary intervention, coronary artery bypass grafting and other methods are used to restore blood perfusion for coronary artery stenosis and blockage. The treatments listed prolong lifespan, however, rate of mortality ultimately remains the same. This is due to the irreversible damage sustained by myocardium, in which millions of heart cells are lost during myocardial infarction. The lack of pragmatic methods of myocardial restoration remains the greatest challenge for effective treatment. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles (EVs) actively secreted by all cell types that act as effective transmitters of biological signals which contribute to both reparative and pathological processes within the heart. Exosomes have become the focus of many researchers as a novel drug delivery system due to the advantages of low toxicity, little immunogenicity and good permeability. In this review, we discuss the progress and challenges of EVs in myocardial repair, and review the recent development of extracellular vesicle-loading systems based on their unique nanostructures and physiological functions, as well as the application of engineering modifications in the diagnosis and treatment of myocardial repair.
