Reconstituted Extracellular Vesicles from Human Platelets Decrease Viral Myocarditis in Mice

Patients with viral myocarditis are at risk of sudden death and may progress to dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Currently, no disease-specific therapies exist to treat viral myocarditis. Here it is examined whether reconstituted, lyophilized extracellular vesicles (EVs) from platelets from healthy men and women reduce acute or chronic myocarditis in male mice. Human-platelet-derived EVs (PEV) do not cause toxicity, damage, or inflammation in naïve mice. PEV administered during the innate immune response significantly reduces myocarditis with fewer epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like module-containing mucin-like hormone receptor-like 1 (F4/80) macrophages, T cells (cluster of differentiation molecules 4 and 8, CD4 and CD8), and mast cells, and improved cardiac function. Innate immune mediators known to increase myocarditis are decreased by innate PEV treatment including Toll-like receptor (TLR)4 and complement. PEV also significantly reduces perivascular fibrosis and remodeling including interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β), transforming growth factor-beta 1, matrix metalloproteinase, collagen genes, and mast cell degranulation. PEV given at days 7-9 after infection reduces myocarditis and improves cardiac function. MicroRNA (miR) sequencing reveals that PEV contains miRs that decrease viral replication, TLR4 signaling, and T-cell activation. These data show that EVs from the platelets of healthy individuals can significantly reduce myocarditis and improve cardiac function.