Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2026, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (19): 5024-5032.doi: 10.12307/2026.220

Previous Articles     Next Articles

Mechanisms and clinical strategies of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles intervening in cell regulatory networks to treat pulmonary fibrosis

Ding Yan1, Nie Hongguang1, Sun Yu2   

  1. 1Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, 2Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning Province, China
  • Received:2025-08-18 Accepted:2025-10-14 Online:2026-07-08 Published:2026-02-24
  • Contact: Sun Yu, Senior experimentalist, Department of Pathophysiology, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning Province, China
  • About author:Ding Yan, MD, Senior experimentalist, Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Research, College of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Shenyang 110122, Liaoning Province, China
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82170093 (to NHG); Liaoning Province Science and Technology Plan Project, No. 2023JH2/20200072 (to DY); Liaoning Provincial Natural Science Foundation Project, No. 2023-BS-103 (to SY)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic progressive lung disease characterized by abnormal deposition of extracellular matrix, with current therapeutic options remaining limited. Extracellular vesicles derived from mesenchymal stem cells, with their lipid membrane structure, can cross the internal barriers in the body and directly deliver various anti-fibrotic, immunomodulatory factors (such as growth factors, immunomodulatory cytokines, and chemokines), lipids and nucleic acids (mRNAs and miRNAs) and other bioactive substances to target cells in the lungs. 
OBJECTIVE: To systematically review the core mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis, summarize and elaborate on how extracellular vesicles directly deliver the bioactive substances they carry to different target cells in the lungs, demonstrating their unique advantages in regulating the pulmonary fibrosis microenvironment, providing a theoretical basis for the future use of mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles in the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis diseases.
METHODS: China National Knowledge Infrastructure, PubMed, clinicaltrials.gov, and the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry were searched. English search terms were “mesenchymal stem cells, extracellular vesicles, pulmonary fibrosis, alveolar epithelium, microvascular endothelium, macrophages, neutrophils.” A total of 56 articles were finally included for the summary.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In alveolar epithelial cells, the process of epithelial-mesenchymal transition is inhibited by regulating signaling pathways such as protein kinase B/glycogen synthase kinase 3β and transforming growth factor β/Smad. The pro-fibrotic signaling network can be blocked by specific miRNAs (such as miR-466f-3p and let-7). In fibroblasts and endothelial cells, miR-21-5p and miR-218/miR-214-3p are used to intervene in the activation of fibroblasts and endothelial-mesenchymal transition, respectively. From a macroscopic perspective, monocytes are reprogrammed, macrophage polarization is regulated, dendritic cell maturation is inhibited, and the Th17/Treg response is balanced, reshaping the immune microenvironment. Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles modified through engineering approaches (targeted peptide modification and drug co-loading) can also enhance the precise targeting of multiple cell subtypes in the lesion area. However, vesicle heterogeneity, large-scale preparation standards, and in vivo dynamic tracing techniques remain key bottlenecks for clinical translation. Future research should integrate single-cell sequencing and spatial multi-omics technologies to deeply explore the underlying mechanisms of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in regulating cellular networks and develop novel clinical treatment strategies for pulmonary fibrosis targeting cells.


Key words: pulmonary fibrosis, extracellular vesicles, cell regulatory network, growth factor, epithelial-mesenchymal transition

CLC Number: