Lyophilized apoptotic vesicles restore DNA damage and mitochondria dysfunction to ameliorate radiation enteritis
- J Nanobiotechnology. 2025 Jul 16;23(1):521. doi: 10.1186/s12951-025-03592-8.
- 1. Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, South China Center of Craniofacial Stem Cell Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510055, China.
- 2. Department of Temporomandibular Joint, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Guangdong Engineering Research Center of Oral Restoration and Reconstruction & Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Basic and Applied Research of Oral Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510180, China.
- 3. Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, South China Center of Craniofacial Stem Cell Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510055, China. [email protected].
- 4. International Center for Aging and Cancer (ICAC), Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China. [email protected].
- 5. Key Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, China. [email protected].
- 6. Hospital of Stomatology, Guanghua School of Stomatology, South China Center of Craniofacial Stem Cell Research, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510055, China. [email protected].
- 7. Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510055, China. [email protected].
- # Contributed equally.
Radiation therapy for malignant tumor patients often induces radiation enteritis (RE), a condition that impairs their quality of life. Currently, there is no standard treatment regimen available. In this study, we used lyophilized apoptotic vesicles (Lpl-apoVs) from umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells to treat RE in a murine model. We show that enema administration of lyophilized apoVs can ameliorate intestinal damage in RE mice. Mechanistically, Lpl-apoVs were internalized by intestinal endothelial cells (IECs) to alleviate radiation-induced DNA damage. In addition, Mitophagy was identified as a prerequisite for therapeutic efficacy, suggesting that rescue of DNA damage and restoration of mitochondrial quality are collaboratively to ameliorate RE diseased phenotypes. These findings indicate that enema administration of Lpl-apoVs is a novel strategy for RE therapy.
Graphical Abstract:
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-025-03592-8.