Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes for Ocular Diseases: Therapeutic Mechanisms and Clinical Perspectives.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Ocular diseases represent a major and increasing public health concern. Although current treatment options are available, the management of complex cases, such as corneal diseases, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and uveitis, remains inadequate. Recent studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos), obtained from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord, have emerged as a promising cell-free therapeutic platform for various ocular diseases. These nanovesicles can be delivered via systems such as topical eye drops and intravitreal injection, targeting ocular tissues to exert anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and tissue-repairing effects. This review systematically synthesizes recent advances and the molecular mechanisms underlying the use of MSC-Exos in treating ocular diseases. Moreover, it provides an in-depth discussion of the challenges in the clinical application of MSC-Exos in ophthalmology, including standardized production, dosage optimization, delivery system improvement, and targeting enhancement, and proposes engineered targeting strategies based on surface modification and carrier optimization. Overall, this work establishes a rigorous framework for advancing MSC-Exos from experimental models to clinical implementation, offering novel therapeutic strategies through these innovative biopharmac

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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