Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a progressive disease that often necessitates hip replacement if hip preservation therapy fails. ONFH places a heavy economic burden and severe psychological pressure on patients. At present, ONFH is treated by either surgical or non-surgical methods. In clinical practice, stem cells combined with surgery has achieved some positive results, but many problems remain to be resolved. Exosomes are small vesicles of 30-150 nm, which are rich in various nucleic acids, proteins, and small molecules depending on the cells from which they are derived. A growing number of studies have found that exosomes play an important role in tissue damage repair. In comparison with stem cells, exosomes have lower immunogenicity. Also, exosomes can promote cell proliferation and inhibit tumor growth. In addition, exosomes can also be used as natural carriers of drugs. Many studies have shown that exosomes have therapeutic effects in hormone-induced ONFH. Exosomes have the effect of promoting vascular regeneration and show good application prospects in ONFH. Here, we present a review of studies on the application of exosomes in ONFH to provide a reference for future research.
Keywords: Bone repair mechanism; Exosomes; Mesenchymal stem cells; Osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
© 2022 The Authors. Orthopaedic Surgery published by Tianjin Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.