Disease-Associated Signatures Persist in Extracellular Vesicles from Reprogrammed Cells of Osteoarthritis Patients

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent joint disorder that lacks effective therapies to halt cartilage degeneration. Mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC)-derived small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are being investigated as promising chondroprotective agents. Compared to primary MSCs, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived MSCs (MLCs) offer superior scalability and enhanced paracrine activity. The aim of this study was to explore the feasibility of using autologous MLC-derived sEVs as a potential therapeutic strategy for OA through the analysis of their protein cargo. iPSCs from an OA patient and a healthy donor were differentiated into MLCs. sEVs were isolated from these MLCs and characterized, with a particular focus on their protein cargo. Both iPSC lines were successfully differentiated into MLCs, which secreted sEVs with comparable size distributions and yields. The analysis of differentially expressed proteins revealed a high abundance of proteins associated with OA pathology and cartilage degradation in sEVs from OA MLCs compared to those from healthy MLCs. The persistence of OA-associated protein signatures in autologous MLC-derived sEVs may limit their therapeutic efficacy. These findings underscore the importance of carefully evaluating disease-specific protein profiles in sEVs for regenerative applications.