From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries

Radiation injury is a severe issue in both nuclear accidents and cancer radiotherapy. Ionizing radiation impairs the regenerative and repair capabilities of tissues and organs, resulting in a scarcity of effective therapeutic approaches to prevent or mitigate such injuries. Mesenchymal stem cells (M...

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Main Authors: Chong Huang, Heng Li, Zhiyue Zhang, Ting Mou, Dandan Wang, Chenlu Li, Lei Tian, Chunlin Zong
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Pharmaceutics
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/5/652
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author Chong Huang
Heng Li
Zhiyue Zhang
Ting Mou
Dandan Wang
Chenlu Li
Lei Tian
Chunlin Zong
author_facet Chong Huang
Heng Li
Zhiyue Zhang
Ting Mou
Dandan Wang
Chenlu Li
Lei Tian
Chunlin Zong
author_sort Chong Huang
collection DOAJ
description Radiation injury is a severe issue in both nuclear accidents and cancer radiotherapy. Ionizing radiation impairs the regenerative and repair capabilities of tissues and organs, resulting in a scarcity of effective therapeutic approaches to prevent or mitigate such injuries. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess favorable biological characteristics and have emerged as ideal candidates for the treatment of radiation injury. However, the use of MSCs as therapeutic agents is associated with uncertainties in therapeutic efficacy, transient effects, and the risk of immune rejection. Recent advances in research have revealed that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EVs) exhibit similar beneficial properties to MSCs and represent a promising cell-free therapy for mitigating radiation injuries. MSC-EVs are enriched with microRNAs (miRNAs), proteins, and lipids, which can modulate immune responses, inflammatory reactions, cell survival, and proliferation in irradiated tissues. This review synthesizes recent studies on the application of MSC-EVs in radiation injury, focusing on the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of MSC-EVs derived from various sources in radiation-induced diseases of different organs. The therapeutic potential of MSC-EVs for radiation injury provides valuable insights for addressing ionizing radiation-induced injuries and offers a reference for future clinical applications.
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spelling doaj-art-4ba94b41ed2b4345b3a6cc43cf7e18b82025-08-20T01:56:44ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-05-0117565210.3390/pharmaceutics17050652From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced InjuriesChong Huang0Heng Li1Zhiyue Zhang2Ting Mou3Dandan Wang4Chenlu Li5Lei Tian6Chunlin Zong7State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaSchool of Stomatology, Jiamusi University, Jiamusi 154007, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Stomatology, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an 710032, ChinaRadiation injury is a severe issue in both nuclear accidents and cancer radiotherapy. Ionizing radiation impairs the regenerative and repair capabilities of tissues and organs, resulting in a scarcity of effective therapeutic approaches to prevent or mitigate such injuries. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) possess favorable biological characteristics and have emerged as ideal candidates for the treatment of radiation injury. However, the use of MSCs as therapeutic agents is associated with uncertainties in therapeutic efficacy, transient effects, and the risk of immune rejection. Recent advances in research have revealed that extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EVs) exhibit similar beneficial properties to MSCs and represent a promising cell-free therapy for mitigating radiation injuries. MSC-EVs are enriched with microRNAs (miRNAs), proteins, and lipids, which can modulate immune responses, inflammatory reactions, cell survival, and proliferation in irradiated tissues. This review synthesizes recent studies on the application of MSC-EVs in radiation injury, focusing on the therapeutic effects and mechanisms of MSC-EVs derived from various sources in radiation-induced diseases of different organs. The therapeutic potential of MSC-EVs for radiation injury provides valuable insights for addressing ionizing radiation-induced injuries and offers a reference for future clinical applications.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/5/652mesenchymal stem cellsextracellular vesiclesradiation-induced injuries
spellingShingle Chong Huang
Heng Li
Zhiyue Zhang
Ting Mou
Dandan Wang
Chenlu Li
Lei Tian
Chunlin Zong
From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
Pharmaceutics
mesenchymal stem cells
extracellular vesicles
radiation-induced injuries
title From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
title_full From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
title_fullStr From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
title_full_unstemmed From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
title_short From Mechanism to Therapy: The Role of MSC-EVs in Alleviating Radiation-Induced Injuries
title_sort from mechanism to therapy the role of msc evs in alleviating radiation induced injuries
topic mesenchymal stem cells
extracellular vesicles
radiation-induced injuries
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/5/652
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