The novel delivery-exosome application for diagnosis and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic degenerative disease characterized by persistent systemic synovitis, with a high risk of stiffness, pain, and swelling. It may affect the other extra-articular tissues. There is no ideal treatment for this disease at present, and it can only be controlled by medication to alleviate the prognosis. Exosomes are small vesicles secreted by various cells in the organism under normal or pathological conditions, and play a role in immune response, antigen presentation, cell migration, cell differentiation, tumor invasion and so on. Due to the adverse effects of conventional drugs and treatments in the treatment of RA, exosomes, as a nanocarrier with many advantages, can have a great impact on the loading of drugs for the treatment of RA. This article reviews the role of exosomes in the pathogenesis of RA and the progress of exosome-based therapy for RA.