Exosome-based antisense locked nucleic acid delivery for inhibition of type II collagen degradation in chondrocyte

MicroRNA-34a (miR-34a) suppression can block the progression of type II collagen decrease in chondrocytes for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. Thus, exosomes, nano-sized extracellular vesicles, were developed as delivery vehicles for antisense miR-34a locked nucleic acid (LNA). As a result, antisense LNA-loaded exosomes exhibited no cytotoxic effects on the chondrocytes and inhibited IL-1 beta-mediated type II collagen decrease in inflammation-induced chondrocytes. Moreover, the suppression of chondrocyte growth was inhibited upon antisense LNA-loaded exosome treatment. In conclusion, the exosome-mediated antisense delivery approach was shown to be biocompatible and functional as a highly efficient OA treatment and could be applicable for treating other diseases. (C) 2019 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.