Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia

ABSTRACT Stroke remains the leading cause of neurological mortality and disability worldwide, with post‐stroke inflammation significantly hindering neural repair. Despite its critical impact, mechanism‐based therapeutic strategies are scarce. In this study, we uncovered a critically important yet pr...

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Main Authors: Jialei Yang, Shipo Wu, Miao He
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2025-06-01
Series:Exploration
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/EXP.20240349
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author Jialei Yang
Shipo Wu
Miao He
author_facet Jialei Yang
Shipo Wu
Miao He
author_sort Jialei Yang
collection DOAJ
description ABSTRACT Stroke remains the leading cause of neurological mortality and disability worldwide, with post‐stroke inflammation significantly hindering neural repair. Despite its critical impact, mechanism‐based therapeutic strategies are scarce. In this study, we uncovered a critically important yet previously unexamined cell population, p21+CD86+ microglia, which accumulated in ischemic region. Unexpectedly, we discovered that p21 interacted with C/EBPβ, driving C/EBPβ‐dependent transcription and upregulating key pro‐inflammatory factors such as Il6, Il1β, Cxcl2, and Cxcl10. To specifically target and eliminate these pathogenic p21+CD86+ microglia, we engineered exosomes with a peptide that selectively binds CD86+ microglia and loaded them with the senolytic Quercetin. Furthermore, we developed an optimized, stable Que@micro‐Exo therapeutic formulation. Systemic administration of Que@micro‐Exo robustly reduced p21+CD86+ microglia and suppressed their pro‐inflammatory phenotype. Notably, functional analyses revealed that Que@micro‐Exo treatment mitigated blood‐brain barrier disruption, promoted beneficial microglial polarization, decreased neutrophil infiltration, and significantly enhanced functional recovery following cerebral ischemia, all with a favorable safety profile. Our preclinical findings lay the foundation for targeting p21+CD86+ microglia as a novel therapeutic strategy, highlighting the potential of exosome‐based senolytic anti‐inflammatory therapy for stroke and other central nervous system disorders.
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spelling doaj-art-bf0f6b7a25d44778a7c7d8d542aa65f52025-08-20T02:36:23ZengWileyExploration2766-85092766-20982025-06-0153n/an/a10.1002/EXP.20240349Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ MicrogliaJialei Yang0Shipo Wu1Miao He2Department of Neurology, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing ChinaLaboratory of Advanced Biotechnology Beijing Institute of Biotechnology Beijing ChinaDepartment of Neurology, China National Clinical Research Center for Neurological Diseases Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University Beijing ChinaABSTRACT Stroke remains the leading cause of neurological mortality and disability worldwide, with post‐stroke inflammation significantly hindering neural repair. Despite its critical impact, mechanism‐based therapeutic strategies are scarce. In this study, we uncovered a critically important yet previously unexamined cell population, p21+CD86+ microglia, which accumulated in ischemic region. Unexpectedly, we discovered that p21 interacted with C/EBPβ, driving C/EBPβ‐dependent transcription and upregulating key pro‐inflammatory factors such as Il6, Il1β, Cxcl2, and Cxcl10. To specifically target and eliminate these pathogenic p21+CD86+ microglia, we engineered exosomes with a peptide that selectively binds CD86+ microglia and loaded them with the senolytic Quercetin. Furthermore, we developed an optimized, stable Que@micro‐Exo therapeutic formulation. Systemic administration of Que@micro‐Exo robustly reduced p21+CD86+ microglia and suppressed their pro‐inflammatory phenotype. Notably, functional analyses revealed that Que@micro‐Exo treatment mitigated blood‐brain barrier disruption, promoted beneficial microglial polarization, decreased neutrophil infiltration, and significantly enhanced functional recovery following cerebral ischemia, all with a favorable safety profile. Our preclinical findings lay the foundation for targeting p21+CD86+ microglia as a novel therapeutic strategy, highlighting the potential of exosome‐based senolytic anti‐inflammatory therapy for stroke and other central nervous system disorders.https://doi.org/10.1002/EXP.20240349engineered exosomesextracellular vesiclesischemic strokemicrogliasenescencetargeted delivery
spellingShingle Jialei Yang
Shipo Wu
Miao He
Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
Exploration
engineered exosomes
extracellular vesicles
ischemic stroke
microglia
senescence
targeted delivery
title Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
title_full Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
title_fullStr Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
title_full_unstemmed Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
title_short Engineered Exosome‐Based Senolytic Therapy Alleviates Stroke by Targeting p21+CD86+ Microglia
title_sort engineered exosome based senolytic therapy alleviates stroke by targeting p21 cd86 microglia
topic engineered exosomes
extracellular vesicles
ischemic stroke
microglia
senescence
targeted delivery
url https://doi.org/10.1002/EXP.20240349
work_keys_str_mv AT jialeiyang engineeredexosomebasedsenolytictherapyalleviatesstrokebytargetingp21cd86microglia
AT shipowu engineeredexosomebasedsenolytictherapyalleviatesstrokebytargetingp21cd86microglia
AT miaohe engineeredexosomebasedsenolytictherapyalleviatesstrokebytargetingp21cd86microglia