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Review
. 2023 Mar 17:14:1131001.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1131001. eCollection 2023.

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels: As an exosome delivery system in bone regeneration

Huiling Deng  1 , Jiecong Wang  1 , Ran An  1
Affiliations
Review

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels: As an exosome delivery system in bone regeneration

Huiling Deng et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) containing various ingredients such as DNA, RNA, lipids and proteins, which play a significant role in intercellular communication. Numerous studies have demonstrated the important role of exosomes in bone regeneration through promoting the expression of osteogenic-related genes and proteins in mesenchymal stem cells. However, the low targeting ability and short circulating half-life of exosomes limited their clinical application. In order to solve those problems, different delivery systems and biological scaffolds have been developed. Hydrogel is a kind of absorbable biological scaffold composed of three-dimensional hydrophilic polymers. It not only has excellent biocompatibility and superior mechanical strength but can also provide a suitable nutrient environment for the growth of the endogenous cells. Thus, the combination between exosomes and hydrogels can improve the stability and maintain the biological activity of exosomes while achieving the sustained release of exosomes in the bone defect sites. As an important component of the extracellular matrix (ECM), hyaluronic acid (HA) plays a critical role in various physiological and pathological processes such as cell differentiation, proliferation, migration, inflammation, angiogenesis, tissue regeneration, wound healing and cancer. In recent years, hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels have been used as an exosome delivery system for bone regeneration and have displayed positive effects. This review mainly summarized the potential mechanism of HA and exosomes in promoting bone regeneration and the application prospects and challenges of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels as exosome delivery devices in bone regeneration.

Keywords: bone regeneration; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; hyaluronic acid; hydrogel.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
The applications of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel as delivery vehicles in biomedical.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Exosomes enter target cells through various forms of endocytosis, including clathrin-mediated endocytosis, caveolin-dependent endocytosis, macropinocytosis and phagocytosis, and lipid raft-mediated endocytosis.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Schematic diagram of hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel loaded with exosomes for bone regeneration.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Grants and funding

The National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant 81901977 to RA) provides support for this work.