Extracellular Vesicles Can Deliver Anti-inflammatory and Anti-scarring Activities of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells After Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury leads to inflammation, which worsens damage and hinders recovery. This study explores whether extracellular vesicles (EVs) from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can replicate the anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring effects of the MSCs themselves in rats with spinal cord injury. The research found that MSC-EVs were as effective as the original MSCs in reducing inflammation for up to two weeks after the injury. The EVs also reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine expression early on. Importantly, MSC-EVs were even more effective than MSCs in reducing scarring. This suggests that EVs could be a safe and effective early treatment for traumatic spinal cord injuries.

• 1
  MSC-EVs effectively reduced neuroinflammation in a rat model of spinal cord injury, comparable to the effects of the parental MSCs.
• 2
  MSC-EVs robustly decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the spinal cord parenchyma in the early phase of secondary damage.
• 3
  MSC-EVs demonstrated a superior anti-scarring impact compared to parental MSCs.