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Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Enzymatic Isolation of Skeletal Muscle Interstitial Extracellular Vesicles
Published on: February 7, 2025
Atrophic Skeletal Muscle-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Transfer miR-125a-5p to Inhibit Bone Formation in
Xiaoyan Shao1,2, Pan Zhang1,3,4,5, Zhidan Fan2
1Division of Sports Medicine and Adult Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from aging muscle inhibit bone formation. Blocking muscle EV production or targeting miR-125a-5p can reverse bone loss, offering new osteoporosis therapies.
Area of Science:
- Biogerontology
- Musculoskeletal Biology
- Molecular Endocrinology
Background:
- Muscle-bone communication is crucial for skeletal health and osteoporosis treatment.
- Aging skeletal muscle releases extracellular vesicles (EVs) that may impact bone metabolism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of aged skeletal muscle-derived EVs in bone formation during aging.
- To identify the molecular mechanisms by which these EVs affect osteoblasts.
- To explore therapeutic strategies targeting this muscle-bone axis.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a muscle-specific EV tracking transgenic mouse model.
- Employed pharmacological blockade of EV generation (GW4869).
- Performed in vivo and in vitro functional studies on osteoblasts and bone.
- Identified and manipulated miR-125a-5p levels in skeletal muscle.
Main Results:
- Aged skeletal muscle-derived EVs (Aged-SKM-EVs) were increased and taken up by osteoblasts in aged mice.
- Blocking EV generation restored osteoblast activity and bone mass.
- Aged-SKM-EVs suppressed osteogenic differentiation.
- miR-125a-5p, enriched in Aged-SKM-EVs, directly targets Sirt7, inhibiting Sp7 transcription and osteogenesis.
Conclusions:
- A novel endocrine pathway exists from aging skeletal muscle to bone via EV-associated miR-125a-5p.
- Aged-SKM-EVs and miR-125a-5p contribute to age-related bone loss and sarcopenia.
- Targeting miR-125a-5p presents a potential therapeutic strategy for sarcopenia-related osteoporosis.
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