Biomaterials-assisted exosomes therapy in osteoarthritis

Abstract

Due to the avascular characteristic of articular cartilage, its self-repair capacity is limited. When cartilage is damaged or forms osteoarthritis, clinical treatment is necessary. However, conventional treatments, including joint replacement, microfracture, cell and drug therapies, have certain limits. Lately, the exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs-EXO), which consist of complex transcription factors, proteins and targeting ligand components, have shown great therapeutic potentials. With recent advancements in various biomaterials to extend MSCs-EXO’s retention time and control the release properties in vivo, biomaterials-assisted exosomes therapy has been soon becoming a practically powerful tool in treating OA. This review analyzes the effects of MSCs-EXO on osteoarthritis inflammation, metabolism, ageing and apoptosis, and introduces the combinational systems of MSCs-EXO with biomaterials to enhance the repair, anti-inflammatory, and homeostasis regulation functions. Moreover, different types of natural or synthetic biomaterials and their applications with MSCs-EXO were also described and discussed. And finally, we presage the future perspective in the development of biomaterial-assisted exosome therapies, as well as the potential to incorporate with other treatments to enhance their therapeutic effects in osteoarthritis.

Enhanced Surface Immunomodification of Engineered Hydrogel Materials through Chondrocyte Modulation for the Treatment of Osteoarthritis

“…Consequently, this approach holds immense promise for OA therapy. The biomaterials commonly employed in OA treatment include metals, ceramics, nano-microstructured materials, bioprinting-enabled biomaterials, hydrogels, liposomal materials, and decellularized matrix materials [39].…”

A Bibliometric Analysis of Exosomes Therapy in the Treatment of Osteoarthritis from 2012 to 2022

“…45 For instance, biodegradable polymers, bioactive glasses, and nanomaterials have been extensively utilized in drug delivery systems to optimize drug release and enhance the bioavailability of drugs. [46][47][48] Furthermore, biomaterials are employed in the design and fabrication of bioactive bone substitutes to stimulate bone defect repair and bone regeneration. Despite some progress, current biomaterials still struggle to meet all the demands of osteoarthritis treatment, such as target specificity, durability, and biocompatibility.…”

“…In the context of osteoarthritis, exosomal biomaterials have been explored for their therapeutic potential due to several unique properties. 47 Firstly, exosomes can function as natural vehicles for the delivery of therapeutic molecules, 49 including anti-inflammatory agents, growth factors, and even genetic material like miRNA or siRNA, to target cells. [50][51][52] This makes them an ideal platform for drug delivery, as they can potentially overcome many limitations associated with traditional drug delivery systems, such as poor target specificity, low bioavailability, and unwanted side effects.…”

Role of adiponectin in osteoarthritis

“…Exosomes contain various cytokines and growth factors, which mediate inflammation, enhance cell proliferation, and reduce apoptosis ( Lai et al, 2010 ). Exosomes incorporated into biomaterials for increased targeting and prolonged retention to treat OA enhanced chondrocyte repair and reduced apoptosis effectively ( Chen et al, 2022 ). In a guinea pig OA model, subchondral bone thickening was observed before chondrocyte apoptosis.…”