MiR-101a loaded extracellular nanovesicles as bioactive carriers for cardiac repair

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains a major cause of mortality worldwide. Despite significant advances in MI treatment, many who survive the acute event are at high risk of chronic cardiac morbidity. Here we developed a cell-free therapeutic that capitalizes on the antifibrotic effects of micro(mi)RNA-101a and exploits the multi-faceted regenerative activity of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) extracellular nanovesicles (eNVs). While the majority of MSC eNVs require local delivery via intramyocardial injection to exert therapeutic efficacy, we have developed MSC eNVs that can be administered in a minimally invasive manner, all while remaining therapeutically active. When loaded with miR-101a, MSC eNVs substantially decreased infarct size (9.2 ± 1.7% vs. 20.0 ± 6.5%) and increased ejection fraction (53.6 ± 7.6% vs. 40.3 ± 6.0%) and fractional shortening (23.6 ± 4.3% vs. 16.6 ± 3.0%) compared to control. These findings are significant as they represent an advance in the development of minimally invasive cardio-therapies.