Exosomes as a Cell-free Therapy for Myocardial Injury Following Acute Myocardial Infarction or Ischemic Reperfusion

Abstract

Exosomes, which contain miRNA, have been receiving growing attention in cardiovascular therapy because of their role in mediating cell-cell communication, autophagy, apoptosis, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Several studies have suggested that miRNA derived from exosomes can be used to detect myocardial infarctions (MI) in patients. Basic research also suggests that exosomes could serve as a potential therapeutic target for treating acute myocardial infarction. Ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury is associated with adverse cardiac events after acute MI. We aim to review the potential benefits and mechanisms of exosomes in treating MI and IR injury.