Plant-derived exosomal microRNAs inhibit lung inflammation induced by exosomes SARS-CoV-2 Nsp12.

Lung inflammation is a hallmark of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we show that mice develop inflamed lung tissue after being administered exosomes released from the lung epithelial cells exposed to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Nsp12 and Nsp13 (exosomes). Mechanistically, we show that exosomes are taken up by lung macrophages, leading to activation of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) and the subsequent induction of an array of inflammatory cytokines. Induction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-1β from exosomes-activated lung macrophages contributes to inducing apoptosis in lung epithelial cells. Induction of exosomes-mediated lung inflammation was abolished with ginger exosome-like nanoparticle (GELN) microRNA (miRNA aly-miR396a-5p. The role of GELNs in inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2-induced cytopathic effect (CPE) was further demonstrated via GELN aly-miR396a-5p- and rlcv-miR-rL1-28-3p-mediated inhibition of expression of Nsp12 and spike genes, respectively. Taken together, our results reveal exosomes as potentially important contributors to the development of lung inflammation, and GELNs are a potential therapeutic agent to treat COVID-19.