Engineered nanovesicles mediated cardiomyocyte survival and neovascularization for the therapy of myocardial infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) leads to substantial cellular necrosis as a consequence of reduced blood flow and oxygen deprivation. Stimulating cardiomyocyte proliferation and angiogenesis can promote functional recovery after cardiac events. In this study, we explored a novel therapeutic strategy for MI by synthesizing a biomimetic nanovesicle (NV). This biomimetic NVs are composed of exosomes sourced from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells, which have been loaded with placental growth factors (PLGF) and surface-engineered with a cardiac-targeting peptide (CHP) through covalent bonding, termed Exo-P-C NVs. With the help of the myocardial targeting effect of homing peptides, NVs can be enriched in the MI site, thus improve cardiac regeneration, reduce fibrosis, stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation, and promote angiogenesis, ultimately resulted in improved cardiac functional recovery. It was demonstrated that Exo-P-C NVs have the potential to offer novel therapeutic strategies for the improvement of cardiac function and management of myocardial infarction.