2025/10/29 by Samuel Campanelli Freitas Couto, Miquéias Lopes‐Pacheco, Vanderson Rocha +2 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Medicine · #Extracellular vesicles in disease #Neonatal Respiratory Health Research #Mesenchymal stem cell research
paper · pdf · doi:10.3389/fmed.2025.1665948
openalex created_date 2025/10/29 · openalex publication_date 2025/10/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/23
Introduction: Mesenchymal stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) have emerged as a promising cell-free therapeutic strategy for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a condition with limited effective treatment options. Methods: This systematic review synthesizes findings from 51 in vivo preclinical studies investigating the efficacy, delivery methods, mechanisms of action, and optimization strategies of MSC-EV interventions in experimental ARDS. Results: Across diverse models and etiologies, MSC-EVs consistently attenuated inflammation, improved gas exchange, and enhanced survival. Mechanistically, these benefits were largely attributed to microRNA-mediated immunomodulation, including promotion of anti-inflammatory macrophage phenotypes and improved bacterial clearance. Factors influencing therapeutic efficacy included the MSC source, EV preconditioning, timing of administration, and route of delivery. Discussion: Despite these encouraging findings, critical methodological heterogeneity limits reproducibility and translational potential. This heterogeneity is particularly evident in dose metrics (e.g., particle number versus protein content), EV quantification methods (e.g., flow cytometry versus nanoparticle tracking analysis), and timing of outcome assessment. This review underscores the growing body of preclinical evidence supporting MSC-EVs in ARDS and identifies key knowledge gaps such as optimal dosing, safety profiling, and scalable manufacturing that must be addressed to enable clinical translation.