cRGD-functionalized exosome-Mn₃O₄ nanoplatform enhanced ischemic lesion accumulation and ros scavenging-mediated neuroprotection in ischemic stroke.

Abstract

The therapeutic efficacy of ischemic stroke (IS) treatment is severely limited by insufficient accumulation of therapeutic agents within ischemic lesions and persistent secondary injury after ischemia-reperfusion. Herein, we report a cRGD-functionalized exosome-based nanoplatform that enhances ischemic lesion-associated accumulation and antioxidative neuroprotection for the treatment of IS. Neural stem cell-derived exosomes were functionalized with cyclic RGD peptides (cRGD) and subsequently loaded with Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles to construct a hybrid nanosystem (cRGD-Exo@Mn₃O₄). The engineered exosomes preserve intrinsic brain tropism, while cRGD modification promotes preferential accumulation in ischemic regions, potentially through interaction with α_vβ₃ integrin that is upregulated in ischemic lesions. The incorporated Mn₃O₄ nanoparticles confer robust reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging capability, thereby mitigating oxidative stress in ischemic microenvironments. In vitro and in vivo studies demonstrate that cRGD-Exo@Mn₃O₄ exhibits enhanced accumulation in ischemic regions compared with non-modified counterparts. The nanosystem effectively attenuates oxidative stress and neuroinflammation, leading to reduced infarct volume, alleviation of cerebral edema, and improved neurological function in MCAO/R mice. Mechanistically, transcriptomic analysis suggests that the therapeutic effects are associated with modulation of inflammation-and cell death-related pathways, including suppression of the RIPK1/RIPK3/MLKL signaling cascade. Collectively, this study presents a rationally designed exosome-based nanoplatform integrating ischemic lesion-associated accumulation with ROS-scavenging capability.