Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Ministry of Education) and Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Institute of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Stem Cells Transl Med. 2023 Mar 17;12(3):154-168. doi: 10.1093/stcltm/szad007.
Intrauterine adhesions (IUA), which is characterized by endometrial fibrosis, continue to be the most common cause of uterine infertility globally. Our work revealed that 3 fibrotic progression markers (Vimentin, COL5A2, and COL1A1) were significantly increased in the endometrium of IUA patients. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (EXOs) have been recently revealed as a cell-free therapy for fibrosis diseases. Nevertheless, the application of EXOs is restricted by the short residency duration in the target tissue. To overcome this limitation, herein, we reported an exosome-based regimen (EXOs-HP) that thermosensitive poloxamer hydrogel possessed the ability to efficiently promote the residency duration of EXOs in the uterine cavity. By downregulating fibrotic progression markers (Vimentin, COL5A2, and COL1A1), EXOs-HP could significantly restore the function and structure of the injured endometrium in the IUA model. Our work provides the theoretical and experimental foundation of EXOs-HP in treating IUA, highlighting the clinical potential of topical EXOs-HP delivery system in IUA patients.
宫腔粘连(IUAs)的特征是子宫内膜纤维化,它仍然是全球范围内导致子宫性不孕的最常见原因。我们的工作表明,纤维化进展标志物(波形蛋白、COL5A2 和 COL1A1)在 IUA 患者的子宫内膜中显著增加。最近发现间充质干细胞衍生的外泌体(EXOs)是纤维化疾病的一种无细胞治疗方法。然而,EXOs 的应用受到其在靶组织中停留时间短的限制。为了克服这一限制,本研究报道了一种基于外泌体的方案(EXOs-HP),即具有热响应性的泊洛沙姆水凝胶能够有效促进 EXOs 在子宫腔中的停留时间。通过下调纤维化进展标志物(波形蛋白、COL5A2 和 COL1A1),EXOs-HP 可以显著恢复 IUA 模型中受损子宫内膜的功能和结构。本研究为 EXOs-HP 治疗 IUA 提供了理论和实验基础,突出了 EXOs-HP 局部递送系统在 IUA 患者中的临床应用潜力。