Potential Role of Exosomes in Mending a Broken Heart: Nanoshuttles Propelling Future Clinical Therapeutics Forward

Figure 1

Cardiotherapeutic effects of exosomes isolated from stem cells. Exosomes have been found to play a critical role in cardiac repair. These “nanoshuttles” can impart information to the target cells via miRNAs, which can directly regulate gene expression. Listed are exosomes found to be upregulated in exosomes isolated from various cell lines and the cardioprotective benefits of those exosomes. Exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs), embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and cardiosphere-derived cells (CDCs), administered to mice after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) have been shown to enhance cardiac function, angiogenesis, attenuate apoptosis, and fibrosis.