The Neuroprotection Effects of Exosome in Central Nervous System Injuries: a New Target for Therapeutic Intervention

Central nervous system (CNS) injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injury (SCI), and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), are the most common cause of death and disability around the world. As a key subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs), exosomes have recently attracted great attentions due to their functions in remodeling extracellular matrix and transmitting signals and molecules. A large number of studies have suggested that exosomes played an important role in brain development and involved in many neurological disorders, particularly in CNS injuries. It has been proposed that exosomes could improve cognition function, inhibit apoptosis, suppress inflammation, regulate autophagy, and protect blood brain barrier (BBB) in CNS injuries via different molecules and pathways including microRNA (miRNA), nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/AKT), Notch1, and extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK). Therefore, exosomes showed great promise as potential targets in CNS injuries. In this article, we present a review highlighting the applications of exosomes in CNS injuries. Hence, on the basis of these properties and effects, exosomes may be developed as therapeutic agents for CNS injury patients.