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Review
. 2021 Dec 23:9:811666.
doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.811666. eCollection 2021.

Role of Exosomal Non-Coding RNAs in Bone-Related Diseases

Hang Li  1   2 , Qiyue Zheng  1   2 , Xinyan Xie  1   2   3 , Jiaojiao Wang  1   2 , Haihong Zhu  1   2 , Haoye Hu  4 , Hao He  5 , Qiong Lu  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Role of Exosomal Non-Coding RNAs in Bone-Related Diseases

Hang Li et al. Front Cell Dev Biol. .

Abstract

Bone-related diseases seriously affect the lives of patients and carry a heavy economic burden on society. Treatment methods cannot meet the diverse clinical needs of affected patients. Exosomes participate in the occurrence and development of many diseases through intercellular communication, including bone-related diseases. Studies have shown that exosomes can take-up and "package" non-coding RNAs and "deliver" them to recipient cells, thereby regulating the function of recipient cells. The exosomal non-coding RNAs secreted by osteoblasts, osteoclasts, chondrocytes, and other cells are involved in the regulation of bone-related diseases by inhibiting osteoclasts, enhancing chondrocyte activity and promoting angiogenesis. Here, we summarize the role and therapeutic potential of exosomal non-coding RNAs in the bone-related diseases osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone-fracture healing, and discuss the clinical application of exosomes in patients with bone-related diseases.

Keywords: bone-related diseases; exosomes; non-coding RNAs; osteoarthritis; osteoporosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor declared a shared affiliation with the authors.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Possible mechanism of action of three exosomal non-coding RNAs (schematic). Different exosomal non-coding RNAs (miRNA, lncRNA, and circRNA) regulate the fate and differentiation of target cells through different mechanisms, thereby affecting disease progression.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Exosome formation and cargo release (schematic). As the endocardium of the early endosome forms a vesicle into the inner bud, an exosome begins to form and then transform into multivesicular bodies. The latter can release vesicles after fusion with the plasma membrane, and are then known as “exosomes.”
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Exosomal non-coding RNAs derived from different cells in three bone-related diseases (schematic). Different sources of exosomes, such as BMSCs, serum, and cancer-cell sources, have different effects on osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and bone fractures by regulating different exosomal non-coding RNAs.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
A possible mechanism of action of exosomal non-coding RNAs in osteoporosis (schematic). Different sources of exosomal non-coding RNAs, such as miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, and tRNA, promote or inhibit the activity of osteoblasts and osteoclasts by regulating different targets, thereby affecting the course of osteoporosis. ↑: promotion; ↓: inhibition.
FIGURE 5
FIGURE 5
A possible mechanism of exosomal non-coding RNAs in osteoarthritis and impaired fracture healing (schematic). (A) Exosomal non-coding RNAs secreted by chondrocytes and MSCs produce pathological effects on each other through different mechanisms. (B) Endothelial progenitors and MSCs promote fracture healing and angiogenesis by transporting lncRNAs and miRNAs, respectively. ↑: promotion; ↓: inhibition.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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