Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomal microRNA-367-3p mitigates lower limb ischemia/reperfusion injury in mouse skeletal muscle via EZH2 targeting.

This study investigates the protective effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (BMSCs-exo) loaded with microRNA-367-3p (miR-367-3p) against pyroptosis—a form of inflammatory programmed cell death—in skeletal muscle following lower limb ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. The findings demonstrate that BMSCs-exo suppress pyroptosis and associated inflammation by delivering miR-367-3p, which directly targets and downregulates enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2), a gene implicated in promoting pyroptosis. This regulatory pathway reduces expression of pyroptosis-related proteins and pro-inflammatory cytokines, thereby mitigating tissue damage. The study highlights BMSCs-exo carrying miR-367-3p as a promising therapeutic strategy for lower limb I/R injury, while noting the need for further research to validate these results in human models and clinical settings.