bims-engexo 2026-04-05 papers

Discov Nano. 2026 Mar 29. pii: 87. [Epub ahead of print]21(1):

Engineered exosomes for targeted glioma therapy: overcoming the blood-brain barrier with nature-inspired nanocarriers.

Parham Rahmani, Mojdeh Fakhri, Ali Aghajani, Shakiba Nikeghbal, Fatemeh Rostamian Motlagh, Setareh Sadat Rafiei, Bahareh Hassanzadeh, Pouria Salajegheh, Melina Shadi, Reza Akhavan-Sigari.

Gliomas mainly glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) are the greatest lethal primary brain tumors, marked by rapid progression, high heterogeneity, and poor therapeutic outcomes. A main challenge in treating gliomas lies in the limited permeability of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restricts drug access to the tumor site. Conventional treatment protocols, including surgery, radiotherapy, and the Stupp regimen, offer only modest survival aids due to drug resistance and inefficient delivery. Recently, nanotechnology-based approaches have gained attention for enhancing drug transport across the BBB. Among them, exosomes endogenous extracellular vesicles have emerged as promising nanocarriers due to their innate biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and natural ability to cross the BBB. These vesicles can be planned to deliver therapeutic agents selectively to tumor cells and modulate the tumor microenvironment (TME), influencing processes as well as angiogenesis, immune evasion, and intercellular signaling. This review articulates the innovative contributions of exosome-based drug delivery systems in glioma management, highlighting recent advancements in bioengineering approaches and their dual role in treatment and diagnostics (theranostics). By speaking the biological barriers to drug delivery and enhancing targeted therapeutic effects, exosomes represent a significant leap forward in precision medicine for glioma therapy. Additional clinical and translational research is crucial to fully realize the potential of exosomes as effective delivery systems in glioma treatment.

Keywords: Drug delivery; Exosome; Glioma treatment; Nanocarriers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s11671-026-04533-6

Acta Pharm Sin B. 2026 Mar;16(3): 1368-1387

Bacterial extracellular vesicles as bioactive nanocarriers for wound treatment.

Yejiao Shi, Zelin Zheng, Yuting Li, Yirong Wang, Helena S Azevedo, Xi Liu, Cuiping Zhang, Honggang Hu.

Bacterial extracellular vesicles (BEVs) secreted by bacteria are considered as messengers for the crosstalk between gut microbiota and wounded skin via the "gut-skin axis". The BEVs with the lipid bilayer nanostructures can deliver various bioactive molecules from their parent bacteria to the host cells, modulating the signal pathways related to wound repair and regeneration. Besides, the cutting-edge gene editing strategies and mature bacterial culture methods further endowed their more customizable and scalable manufacture compared to the most commonly used extracellular vesicles from mammalian cells. Therefore, more and more BEVs have been exploited directly as bioactive nanocarriers or engineered as delivery vehicles for wound treatment. Herein, the present review began with an overview of the gut-skin axis to better comprehend the bioactivates of BEVs towards wound healing. Their biogenesis, isolation, and uptake were then introduced. A summary of recent advancements in exploring BEVs for accelerated wound healing was followed, with a focus on their roles as nanocarriers for delivery. Diverse engineering approaches to functionalize BEVs were especially discussed for optimal wound management. Constructive insights regarding the new upsurge of BEVs for wound treatment were provided in the end to boost these innovative therapeutic modalities from bench to bedside.

Keywords: Bacterial extracellular vesicles; Cell-free therapy; Drug delivery; Engineered extracellular vesicles; Gut–skin axis; Nanocarriers; Tissue regeneration; Wound healing

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2026.01.007

Acta Pharm Sin B. 2026 Mar;16(3): 1795-1796

RDYH58 functionalized exosomes homing muscle fibroblasts for delivery of siRNA targeting FKBP10: A novel therapeutic strategy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Mengqin Guo, Wenhao Wang, Chuanbin Wu, Zhengwei Huang.

Keywords: Drug delivery; Exosomes; FK506-binding protein; Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; Myofibroblasts; RDYH58

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsb.2026.01.022

Front Immunol. 2026 ;17 1742207

Mycobacterium tuberculosis antigen-containing exosomes reinforce BCG vaccine efficacy by augmenting long-term protection and memory response against experimental tuberculosis in BALB-C mice.

Manu Sharma, Sher Afghan, Amit Singh, Iqbal Alam, Meetu Agarwal, Mohd Shahid, Shaikh Muhammad Atif, Saif Khan, Syed Saima Malik, Vengala Rao Yenuganti, Mairaj Ahmed Ansari.

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.), affects one-third of humanity. Despite the availability of effective drug regimens, complete eradication of M.tb. remains challenging due to prolonged treatment duration. Additionally, MDR-TB and co-infection with HIV further exacerbate disease severity. The Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine has shown inconsistent efficacy due to the absence of Th-1 antigens. Hence, there is a critical need for either a novel vaccine candidate or an efficient booster to enhance BCG's prophylactic efficacy. In this study, in-house prepared M.tb.-infected alveolar macrophage-derived exosomes (Rv-Exo) and ESAT-6-containing exosomes (ESAT-6 Exo) were characterized based on size, purity, and pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), and their epitope mapping was also performed. These M.tb. protein-containing exosomes (MPEs) were utilized for immunization, either alone or as a booster to BCG, and evaluated in BALB/c mice against experimental M.tb. challenge. Our results demonstrate that ESAT-6 Exo and Rv-Exo, either alone or as a BCG booster, enhanced Th-1-biased immune responses by activating CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, increasing memory T-cell populations, and significantly reducing the M.tb. burden in the lungs, spleen, and lymph nodes of infected mice. These findings highlight the potential of MPE as a promising strategy against TB especially in the BCG-vaccinated population.

Keywords: BCG vaccine booster; T cell antigen bearing exosomes; T cell memory responses; exosome as booster; exosomes as candidate vaccine; long term protection; tuberculosis vaccine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2026.1742207

Biomater Sci. 2026 Mar 31.

Exosome-niosome hybrid oxygen carrier for protection against acetaminophen-induced acute liver injury.

Anika Bushra, Dalton Jayne, Thomas Locke, Xiaoxue Han, Timothy M Fan, Gregory H Underhill, Joseph Irudayaraj.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose is one of the contributing factors for acute liver injury (ALI), caused by a hypoxic microenvironment, elevated oxidative stress, and pro-inflammatory signaling. In this work, we present an exosome-niosome hybrid oxygen carrier (ENh-OC) composed of polysorbate 80, Pluronic® F-127, medium chain triglyceride oil, and blueberry-derived exosomes. We propose that our delivery system shields the liver tissue from localized hypoxia by maintaining sustained oxygen delivery, and the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory components present in the exosomes enhance the hepatoprotective effect. The hydrodynamic diameter of ENh-OCs is 74.0 ± 30.8 nm with a zeta potential of -13.2 ± 0.5 mV, and oxygen holding capacity of 54.3 ± 1.5 mg L-1. They have a shelf life of up to 6 months at 4 °C, and an extended oxygen release profile of up to 16 hours under physiological hypoxic conditions. ENh-OCs have demonstrated excellent mitigative effects against hypoxia, reactive oxygen species, and superoxide-induced damage in LX-2 and HepG2 cell lines under 24 hours of sustained hypoxia. Additionally, ENh-OCs have shown a significant protective effect against APAP-induced cytotoxicity in LX-2spheroids when treated after 24 hours of the initial injury phase. The safety profile of ENh-OCs has been established, and efficacy in protection from APAP-induced ALI has been demonstrated in an in vivo murine model. RT-qPCR results verified downregulation of genes related to hypoxia (HIF-1α, VEGF-A), oxidative stress (Nrf2, HO-1), and inflammation (IL-1β, TNF-α) both in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, histological analysis revealed protective effects of ENh-OCs against centrilobular necrosis and excessive immune-infiltration. We propose that the novel oxygen nanocarrier platform introduced here might act as a protective agent against APAP-induced ALI.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/d5bm01861g