Mesenchymal Stem Cells-Derived Exosomes as Dexamethasone Delivery Vehicles for Autoimmune Hepatitis Therapy

• Main Authors: Jiawei Zhao, Yue Li, Rongrong Jia, Jinghui Wang, Min Shi, Yugang Wang
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-03-01
• Series: Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
• Subjects: mesenchymal stem cells; exosomes; dexamethasone; autoimmune hepatitis; delivery
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2021.650376/full
• ISSN: 2296-4185

Exosomes (Exos) are nanosized vesicles (around 100 nm) that recently serve as a promising drug carrier with high biocompatibility and low immunogenicity. Previous studies showed that Exos secreted from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) provide protection for concanavalin A (Con A)-induced liver injury. In this study, the protective effect of Exos is confirmed, and dexamethasone (DEX)-incorporated Exos named Exo@DEX are prepared. It is then investigated whether Exo@DEX can function more efficiently compared to free drugs and naive Exos in a Con A-induced autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) mouse model. The results show that Exo@DEX efficiently improves the accumulation of DEX in AIH in the liver. These data suggest that Exo@DEX is a promising drug carrier for AIH and could have applications in other diseases.