cRGD-functionalized exosome-Mn₃O₄ nanoplatform enhanced ischemic lesion accumulation and ros scavenging-mediated...

The therapeutic efficacy of ischemic stroke (IS) treatment is severely limited by insufficient accumulation of therapeutic agents within ischemic lesions and persistent secondary injury after ischemia-reperfusion. Herein, we report a cRGD-functionalized exosome-based nanoplatform that enhances ischemic lesion-associated accumulation and antioxidative neuroprotection for the treatment of IS. Neural stem cell-derived exosomes were functionalized with cyclic RGD peptides (cRGD) and subsequently loaded with Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles to construct a hybrid nanosystem (cRGD-Exo@Mn₃O₄). The engineered exosomes preserve intrinsic brain tropism, while cRGD modification promotes preferential accumulation in ischemic regions, potentially through interaction with α_vβ₃ integrin that is upregulated in ischemic lesions. The incorporated Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles confer robust reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability, thereby mitigating oxidative stress in ischemic microenvironments. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that cRGD-Exo@Mn₃O₄ exhibits enhanced accumulation in ischemic regions compared with non-modified counterparts. The nanosystem effectively attenuates oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, leading to reduced infarct volume, alleviation of cerebral edema, and improved neurological function in MCAO/R mice. Mechanistically, transcriptomic analysis suggests that the therapeutic effects are associated with modulation of inflammation-and cell death-related pathways, including suppression of the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling cascade. Collectively, this study presents a rationally designed exosome-based nanoplatform integrating ischemic lesion-associated accumulation with ROS-scavenging capability.