Co-culture engineering: a promising strategy for production of engineered extracellular vesicle for osteoarthritis treatment

Abstract

The therapeutic effects of extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been identified as a significant factor in intercellular communication in different disease treatments, including osteoarthritis (OA). Compared to the conventional approaches in treating OA, EV therapy is a non-invasive and cell-free method. However, improving the yield of EVs and their therapeutic effects are the main challenges for clinical applications. In this regard, researchers are using the EV engineering potential to overcome these challenges. New findings suggest that the co-culture strategy as an indirect EV engineering method efficiently increases EV production and quality. The co-culture of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and chondrocytes has improved their chondrogenesis, anti-inflammatory effects, and regenerative properties which are mediated by EVs. Hence, co-culture engineering by considerable systems could be useful in producing engineered EVs for different therapeutic applications. Here, we review various co-culture approaches, including diverse direct and indirect, 2D and 3D cell cultures, as well as static and dynamic systems. Meanwhile, we suggest and discuss the advantages of combined strategies to achieve engineered EVs for OA treatment.