Background Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) refers to the severe decline or failure of ovarian function in women younger than 40 years of age. It is a serious hazard to women's physical and mental health, but current treatment options are limited. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exo) exhibit promising potential as a therapeutic approach for POI. However, their clinical application is hindered by their instability and low long-term retention rate in vivo . Methods and Results In this study, miR-21 was identified as the predominant miRNA with low-expression in follicular fluid exosomes of POI patients and was shown to possess antiapoptotic activity. Next, we loaded miR-21 agomir to MSC-Exo to form Agomir21-Exo, which significantly reversed the apoptosis of granulosa cells in vitro. Moreover, we successfully developed GelMA hydrogel microspheres for encapsulating Agomir21-Exo through microfluidic technology, named GelMA-Ag21Exo, which had good injectability and significantly enhanced the stability and long-term retention of Agomir21-Exo in mice through sustained release. The release of Agomir21-Exo from GelMA-Ag21Exo notably alleviated the apoptosis of ovarian granulosa cells and improved the ovarian reserve and fertility in POI mice. Conclusion Our findings illustrate that activating miR-21 through Agomir21-Exo could improve the function of ovarian granulosa cells. The GelMA-Ag21Exo enhanced the exosome-based therapeutic efficacy of the Agomir21-Exo in vivo . These findings provide a novel and promising treatment strategy for POI patients.
Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is an important method in the treatment of liver cancer and identification of an ideal microsphere for embolization is a key step in its development. Here, we used a microfluidic device to prepare uniformly sized Photopolymerized pH-Responsive GelMA Microspheres with Doxorubicin Modification (DOX-GelMA) that integrated embolization and drug delivery properties. The acid-sensitive doxorubicin (DOX) prodrug was synthesized through a three-step reaction and coupled during curing of the microspheres under UV irradiation. The microspheres exhibited significant pH-responsive drug release in the tumor microenvironment and had a good degradation performance over 18 days. Microscopic images and scanning electron microscopy results showed that the microspheres had good sphericity and uniform particle size (96.61 ± 0.046 μm), and that the particle size and their degree of swelling were suitable for embolization therapy. In vitro cytotoxicity and blood compatibility experiments showed that the microspheres were good biocompatible. The drug-loaded microspheres had obvious inhibitory effect on HepG2. A rabbit ear embolization study demonstrated that the microspheres could effectively block arterial blood flow. The DOX-GelMA microspheres simultaneously achieved physical targeted therapy and chemotherapy, and had great prospects in TACE therapy.
The current wound healing process faces numerous challenges such as bacterial infection, inflammation and oxidative stress. However, wound dressings used to promote wound healing, are not well suited to meet the clinical needs. Hyaluronic acid (HA) not only has excellent water absorption and good biocompatibility but facilitates cell function and tissue regeneration. Dopamine, on the other hand, increases the overall viscosity of the hydrogel and possesses antioxidant property. Furthermore, chitosan exhibits outstanding performance in antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is conducive to cell proliferation and migration, vascular regeneration and wound healing. Hence, we designed an all-in-one hydrogel patch containing dopamine and chitosan framed by hyaluronic acid (HDC) with sprayed gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) microspheres loaded with bFGF (HDC-bFGF). The hydrogel patch exhibits excellent adhesive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antibacterial properties. In vitro experiments, the HDC-bFGF hydrogel patch not only showed significant inhibitory effect on RAW cell inflammation and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) growth but also effectively scavenged free radicals, in addition to promoting the migration of 3 T3 cells. In the mice acute infected wound model, the HDC-bFGF hydrogel patch adhered to the wound surface greatly accelerated the healing process via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities, bacterial inhibition and pro-vascularization effects. Therefore, the multifunctional HDC-bFGF hydrogel patch holds great promise for clinical application.