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©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Stem Cells. Oct 26, 2025; 17(10): 110058
Published online Oct 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i10.110058
Published online Oct 26, 2025. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.v17.i10.110058
Mesenchymal stem cell-derived microRNAs: Key immunomodulators to prevent ocular tissue degeneration
Sneha Nair, Gowri Priya Chidambaranathan, Department of Immunology and Stem Cell Biology, Aravind Medical Research Foundation, Madurai 625020, Tamil Nādu, India
Sneha Nair, Gowri Priya Chidambaranathan, Department of Biotechnology, Aravind Medical Research Foundation, Affiliated to Alagappa University, Karaikudi 630003, Tamil Nādu, India
Author contributions: Nair S collected the articles, consolidated the published literature, and prepared the manuscript; Chidambaranathan GP conceptualized, planned, and proofread the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Gowri Priya Chidambaranathan, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Immunology and Stem Cell Biology, Aravind Medical Research Foundation, No. 1 Anna Nagar, Madurai 625020, Tamil Nādu, India. gowri@aravind.org
Received: May 28, 2025
Revised: July 10, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: October 26, 2025
Processing time: 149 Days and 15.7 Hours
Revised: July 10, 2025
Accepted: September 2, 2025
Published online: October 26, 2025
Processing time: 149 Days and 15.7 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are emerging as potent therapeutic agents for ocular degeneration due to their regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. A key mechanism of action is through extracellular vesicles, which deliver bioactive cargoes, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs), to target cells. This review highlights the role of MSC-derived miRNAs in modulating immune responses and promoting repair in ocular diseases such as corneal injury, dry eye, diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and glaucoma. It also explores the potential of engineering extracellular vesicles enriched with specific MSC-derived miRNAs as innovative, cell-free therapeutic strategies.