Professor Li Lihua’s team has recently published a review article titled “Stem Cell Exosomes: New Hope and Future Potential for Relieving Liver Fibrosis” in the prestigious journal Clinical and Molecular Hepatology (Impact Factor: 14), with Professor Li himself as the first author and Taizhou University as the corresponding institution.

Liver fibrosis is a chronic liver injury caused by a range of factors, including viral hepatitis, autoimmune hepatitis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and cholestatic liver disease. Currently, liver transplantation remains the gold standard treatment for severe liver diseases; however, it is limited by a shortage of donor organs and the requirement for lifelong immunosuppressive therapy.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the potential for multidirectional differentiation and proliferative capacity. When transplanted, they can differentiate into various hepatocyte types, thereby improving liver function. As such, MSCs represent a promising alternative therapy for liver diseases, particularly cirrhosis, liver failure, and complications following liver transplantation. However, due to the potential oncogenic risks associated with MSCs, a novel therapeutic approach has emerged, focusing on the use of extracellular vesicles (exosomes) secreted by stem cells to treat liver fibrosis.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that exosomes released by stem cells through paracrine signaling can facilitate liver repair and contribute to the treatment of hepatic fibrosis via multiple mechanisms. Prof. Li’s paper examined the molecular mechanisms by which stem cell-derived exosomes can affect liver fibrosis through various pathways, as well as their potential as therapeutic targets. Additionally, the paper explored the advantages of exosome therapy over traditional stem cell therapy and discuss future directions for exosome research, including its clinical application prospects and the challenges that need to be addressed.

Nucleic acids and proteins produced by organelles are released from the cell through exocytosis in exosomes

The research has been supported by the Basic Public Welfare Research Programme of Zhejiang Province (LY23H030002) and other projects.

Link to the paper: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39510097/ .

DOI: 10.3350/cmh.2024.0854.