Myofibroblast-Targeting Extracellular Vesicles: A Promising Platform for Cardiac Fibrosis Drug Delivery.

ABSTRACT: Current pharmacological treatments for cardiac fibrosis are often limited by their efficacy and specificity, leading to marked side effects. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is specifically expressed on activated myofibroblasts (myoFbs) but not on resting cardiac fibroblasts, making it a promising target for cardiac fibrosis therapy. In this study, we engineered extracellular vesicles (EVs) conjugated with an anti-FAP single-chain variable fragment, termed αFAP-EVs, which specifically target myoFbs. Our results demonstrated that αFAP-EVs successfully targeted activated myoFbs in vitro and localized to fibrotic regions in isoproterenol-induced mouse hearts in vivo. To further enhance delivery efficiency, αFAP-EVs were combined with clodronate-loaded liposomes (αFAP-EL@CLD) to reduce live

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11986206 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature