Review Article

The Application Potential and Advance of Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes in Myocardial Infarction

Table 1

List of components of the MSC-derived exosome molecular cargo to regulate cardiac repairment published in the recent 5 years.

DiseasesComponentType of MSCsTarget cellFunctionReference

Cardiac preservation
Mouse MImiR-214ADRCCMADRC-derived exosomes inhibited cardiomyocyte cell damage under hypoxia in vitro, decreased infarcted size, and improved cardiac function through miR-214-regulated clathrin endocytosis.[96]
Mouse MImiR-125b-5pHcBMSCsCMExosomes from hypoxia-conditioned BMSCs can facilitate cardiac repair and ameliorate CM apoptosis through suppressing the expression of the proapoptotic genes p53 and BAK1.[79]
Mouse MImiR-125bBMSCsNMCMMSC-derived exosomes protect NMCM from hypoxia and serum deprivation-induced autophagic flux, decreased infarct size, and improved cardiac function via miR-125b-mediated p53-Bnip3 signaling.[69]
Mouse MImiR-22BMSCsNRCMsExosomes from ischemic preconditioned BMSCs resulted in antiapoptotic effect on CMs due to ischemia by targeting Mecp2 and displayed reduced cardiac fibrosis.[78]
Mouse I/RmiR-25-3pBMSCsCMBMSC-derived exosomes protected CMs against oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced apoptosis by directly targeting the proapoptotic genes (FASL and PTEN) and EZH2 to confer cardioprotective effects and suppress inflammation post-I/R injury.[70]
Mouse I/RmiR-221/miR-222ADSCsH9C2ADSC-derived exosomes protect H9C2 from H2O2-induced injury and repair cardiac I/R injury via the miR-221/miR-222/PUMA/ETS-1 pathway.[97]
Mouse I/RmiR-221/222ADSCsH9C2ADSC-CM attenuates cardiac apoptosis and fibrosis I/R-induced cardiac injury via the microRNA-221/222/PUMA/ETS-1 pathway.[72]
Rat MImiR-19ahUC-MSCsH9C2Exosomes secreted by hUC-MSCs protected H9C2 by miR-19a/SOX6-mediated AKT activation and JNK3/caspase-3 inhibition.[98]
Rat MImiR-126ADSCsH9C2miR-126-enhanced ADSC-exosomes prevented myocardial damage by inhibiting apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis and increasing angiogenesis.[74]
Rat MImiR-146aADSCsH9C2miR-146a containing exosomes had more effect than the normal exosome treatment group on the suppression of AMI-induced apoptosis, inflammatory response, and fibrosis in an AMI rat model through interacting with the 3-untranslated region of EGR1.[71]
Rat MImiR-210BMSCsNRCMmiR-210-overexpressing MSC exosomes exerted myocyte protection by targeting AIFM3 to inhibit NRCM apoptosis and reduce infarct size and improve heart function in the rat MI model.[75]
Rat MImiR-19aBMSCsNRCMGATA-4-overexpressing MSC-derived exosomes contributed to increased CM survival, reduced CM apoptosis, and preserved mitochondrial membrane potential in CM under a hypoxic environment by targeting PTEN to activate the Akt and ERK signaling.[43]
Rat MImiR-338BMSCsH9C2Exosomes secreted from BMSCs transfected with miR-338 mimic decreased the apoptosis of H9C2 and improved cardiac function by regulating the MAP3K2/JNK signaling pathway.[77]
Rat MImiR-133BMSCsNRCMmiR-133-overexpressing BMSC-derived exosomes inhibited hypoxia-induced NRCM apoptosis and repressed inflammatory level and the infarct size by targeting snail 1.[76]
Rat MImiR-29 and miR-24BMSCsH9C2BMSC-derived exosomes enriched with miR-29 and miR-24 enhanced cardiac repair by promoting CM proliferation, reducing apoptosis induced by H2O2, and inhibiting fibrosis of fibroblast cell induced by TGF-β.[17]
Rat MImiR-21EnMSCsNRCMEnMSCs showed superior cardioprotective effects through antiapoptotic and angiogenic effects by enhancing cell survival through the miR-21/PTEN/Akt pathway.[73]
Rat MICircular RNA 0001273hUC-MSCsH9C2Circular RNA 0001273 in exosomes of hUC-MSCs inhibited H9C2 apoptosis and promote MI repair.[81]
Rat MIlncRNA KLF3-AS1MSCsH9C2Exosomes secreted from human MSCs inhibited H9C2 pyroptosis and attenuated MI progression through the lncRNA KLF3-AS1/miR-138-5p/Sirt1 pathway.[80]
Rat MISfrp2hUC-MSCsH9C2TIMP2-modified hUC-MSC-derived exosomes can inhibit H2O2-induced H9C2 apoptosis and alleviate MI-induced oxidative stress.[86]
Vitro modelmiR-144BMSCsH9C2BMSC-derived exosomes ameliorated CM apoptosis in hypoxic conditions by delivering miR-144 to recipient cells by targeting the PTEN/AKT pathway.[99]
Vitro modelmiR-486-5pBMSCsH9C2miR-486-5p carried by BMSC-derived exosomes promoted the H9C2 proliferation and rescued H9C2 cells from hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis by suppressing PTEN expression and activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.[100]
Vitro modellncRNA-NEAT1hAD-MSCshiPSC-derived CMExosomes obtained from MIF-pretreated hAD-MSCs exhibited a protective effect on CM cells from hiPSC differentiation through the lncRNA-NEAT1/miR-142-3p/FOXO1 pathway.[101]
Enhanced angiogenesis
Mouse MImiR-132BMSCsHUVECBMSC-derived exosomes can both increase tube formation of HUVEC by targeting RASA1 and enhance the neovascularization in the peri-infarct zone.[82]
Mouse MImiR-210BMSCsHUVECmiR-210 in BMSC-secreted exosomes improved angiogenesis by increasing the proliferation, migration, and tube formation capacity of HUVECs and contributed to cardiac protection.[83]
Mouse MICXCL12, Nrf2ADSCsEPCThe exosomes from SIRT1-overexpressing ADSCs can restore the function of cell migration and tube formation and recruitment of EPCs to the repair area through Nrf2/CXCL12/CXCR7 signaling.[84]
Rat MImiR-21EnMSCsHUVECEnMSCs showed superior cardioprotection through angiogenic effects via the PTEN/Akt pathway.[73]
Rat MImiR-133a-3phUC-MSCsHUVECExosomes from MIF-engineered hUC-MSCs enhanced proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis.[85]
Rat MIlncRNA H19BMSCsHUVECExosomes from atorvastatin preconditioned MSCs can regulate the expression of miR-675 and activation of VEGF and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 to promote angiogenesis.[87]
Rat MISfrp2hUC-MSCsHUVECTIMP2-modified hUC-MSC-derived exosomes can promote HUVEC proliferation, migration, and tube formation in vitro and angiogenesis in rat MI model.[86]
Rat MIPDGF-DhUC-MSCsHUVECExosomes derived from Akt-modified hUC-MSCs resulted in more effective angiogenesis through PDGF-D secretion.[88]
Limited inflammation
Mouse I/RmiRNA-181ahUCB-MSCsPBMCOverexpression of miRNA-181a in hUCB-MSC-derived exosomes suppressed inflammatory response in the PBMCs and promoted Treg cell polarization through targeting c-Fos.[91]
Mouse I/RmiR-182BMSCsRaw264.7BMSC-derived exosomes mediated macrophage polarization by targeting toll-like receptor 4.[90]
Mouse MILPS-primed exosomesBMSCsRaw264.7Exosomes obtained from LPS preconditioning BMSCs strongly increased M2 macrophage polarization and attenuated the postinfarction inflammation in the MI model through inhibition of LPS-dependent NF-κB signaling pathway and activation of the AKT1/AKT2 signaling pathway.[92]
Vitro modelmiR-10aAD-MSCsNaïve T cellsmiR-10a-loaded exosomes from AD-MSCs facilitated Th17 and Treg responses while reduced that of Th1 in spleen-derived naïve T cells.[94]
Vitro modelmiR-34a, miR-124, and miR-135bAD-MSCsTHP-1Melatonin-stimulated exosomes derived from AD-MSCs promoted M2 macrophage differentiation and exerted superior anti-inflammatory response.[93]
Vitro modelIDOhUC-MSCsPBMCExosomes from TGF-β and IFN-γ-stimulated hUC-MSCs significantly promoted the transformation of mononuclear cells to Tregs through IDO regulation.[95]
Cardiac remodeling
Rat MImiR-29 and miR-24BMSCsFibroblast BJ cellsBMSC-secreted exosomes enhanced cardiac repair by transferring miR-29 and miR-24 to fibroblasts.[17]
Rat MISfrp2hUC-MSCsFibroblastTIMP2-modified hUC-MSC-derived exosomes decreased TGF-β-induced MMP2, MMP9, and α-SMA secretion in cardiac fibroblasts and inhibit ECM remodeling.[86]
Vitro modelmiR-21, miR-23a, miR-125b, and miR-145hUC-MSCsFibroblasthUC-MSC-derived exosomes suppressed myofibroblast formation by inhibiting excess α-smooth muscle actin and collagen deposition via the activity of the TGF-β/SMAD2 signaling pathway.[102]

AD-MSCs: adipose mesenchymal stem cells; Mecp2: methyl CpG binding protein 2; HUVEC: human umbilical vein endothelial cells; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; EGF: epidermal growth factor; FGF: fibroblast growth factor; VEGF-R2 and VEGF-R3: receptors of vascular endothelial growth factor; MCP-2: monocyte chemoattractant protein 2; MCP-4: monocyte chemoattractant protein 4; PBMC: peripheral blood mononuclear cells; hUC-MSCs: human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells; BMSCs: bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; CTGF: connective tissue growth factor; NRCM: neonatal rat cardiac myocytes; MIF: macrophage migration inhibitory factor; EnMSCs: human endometrium-derived mesenchymal stem cells; PTEN: phosphatase and tensin homolog; ADRC: adipose-derived regenerative cells; CM: cardiomyocytes; I/R: ischemia-reperfusion; ADSCs: adipose-derived stem cells; HcBMSCs: hypoxia-conditioned bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; AMI: acute myocardial infarction; ADSC-CM: adipose-derived stem cell conditioned medium; NMCM: neonatal mouse cardiomyocytes; hiPSC: human-induced pluripotent stem cell; EGR1: early growth response factor 1; Mecp2: methyl CpG binding protein 2; lncRNA: long noncoding RNA; hUCB-MSCs: human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs; EPCs: endothelial progenitor cells; PDGF-D: platelet-derived growth factor D; CXCL12: C-X-C motif chemokine 12; Nrf2: nuclear factor E2 related factor 2; Sfrp2: secreted frizzled- (Fz-) related protein 2; TIMP2: tissue matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor 2; MMPs: matrix metalloproteinases; ceRNA: competitive endogenous RNA; LPS: lipopolysaccharide.