The effects of mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes in rheumatoid arthritis: a review

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a most common chronic joint disease belonging to inflammatory autoimmune disease. The pathology of the disease is characterised by the infiltration and proliferation of fibroblast like synoviocytes (FLSs) and the destruction of the bone and cartilage matrix, which leads to joint dysfunction and even deformity.In recent years, an increasing number of studies have shown that MSCs have immunosuppressive properties and have been demonstrated in a variety of disease. Exosomes serve as carriers that mediate intercellular material transfer and information exchange and contain a variety of biologically active components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSCs-Exos) play a regulatory role by carrying bioactive substances from the parental cells. Exos-derived from MSCs of different origins can modulate several pathological processes, such as immune inflammatory response, improvement of bone metabolism. In this research, we reviewed the current major pathogenesis of RA and explored the important role of MSCs-Exos in this disease. To be more precise, we summarised the effects of different MSCs-Exos on the pathomechanisms of RA, with a view to providing guidance and reference for future studies.