Intranasal delivery of mesenchymal stem cells ‐derived extracellular vesicles for the treatment of neurological diseases

Schematic diagram illustrating the major brain regions affected in neurodegenerative diseases, to which EVs actively migrate following IN administration. The figure presents the key mechanisms and cargo used by MSC-derived EVs to mitigate these pathologies and induce regeneration. AbstractNeurological disorders are diseases of the central nervous system (CNS), characterized by a progressive degeneration of cells and deficiencies in neural functions. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising therapy for diseases and disorders of the CNS. Increasing evidence suggests that their beneficial abilities can be attributed to their paracrine secretion of extracellular vesicles (EVs). Administration of EVs that contain a mixture of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, resembling the secretome of MSCs, has been shown to mimic most of the effects of the parental cells. Moreover, the small size and safety profile of EVs provide a number of advantages over cell transplantation. Intranasal (IN) administration of EVs has been established as an effective and reliable way to bypass the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs to the CNS. In addition to pharmacological drugs, EVs can be loaded with a diverse range of cargo designed to modulate gene expression and protein functions in recipient cells, and lead to immunomodulation, neurogenesis, neuroprotection, and degradation of protein aggregates. In this review, we will explore the proposed physiological pathways by which EVs migrate t...
Source: Stem Cells - Category: Stem Cells Authors: Tags: Regenerative Medicine Source Type: research