Characterization of human placenta-derived exosome (pExo) as a potential osteoarthritis disease modifying therapeutic

OBJECTIVE: Human placenta-derived exosomes (pExo) were generated, characterized, and evaluated as a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). METHODS: pExo was generated from full-term human placenta tissues by sequential centrifugation, purification, and sterile filtration. Upon analysis of particle size, cytokine composition, and exosome marker expression, pExo was further tested in cell-based assays to examine its effects on human chondrocytes. In vivo therapeutic efficacies were evaluated in a medial meniscal tear/medial collateral ligament tear (MCLT + MMT) rat model, in which animals received pExo injections intraarticularly and weight bearing tests during in-life stage while histopathology and immunohistochemistry were performed as terminal endpoints. RESULTS: pExo displayed typical particle size, expressed maker proteins of exosome, and contained proteins with pro-proliferative, pro-anabolic, anti-catabolic, or anti-inflammatory activities. In vitro, pExo promoted chondrocyte migration and proliferation dose-dependently, which may involve its activation of cell growth-related signaling pathways. Expression of inflammatory and catabolic genes induced in a cellular OA model was significantly suppressed by pExo. In the rat OA model, pExo alleviated pain burden, restored cartilage degeneration, and downregulated expressions of pro-inflammatory, catabolic, or apoptotic proteins in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that pExo has multiple potential therapeutic effects including symptom control and disease modifying characteristics. This may make it an attractive candidate for further development as an anti-OA therapeutic. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13075-023-03219-z.