Evidence mapPaperPMID 40969664Full record

ReviewInternational journal of nanomedicine2025

Exosomes and Renal Fibrosis: Diagnostic Value, Therapeutic Potential and Challenges.

Yumeng Li, Yousuf Abdulkarim Waheed, Dong Sun

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of nanomedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Regulated cell death: a multidimensional regulatory network in the pathogenesis of renal fibrosis.Apoptosis : an international journal on programmed cell death · 2026
    Review
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Nanoparticles in the Treatment of Renal Fibrosis.International journal of nanomedicine · 2026
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yumeng LiDepartment of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China.
Yousuf Abdulkarim WaheedDepartment of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China.
Dong SunDepartment of Nephrology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0000-0002-4546-404X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Renal fibrosis is a key pathological process in the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), characterised by irreversible damage to the renal parenchyma. Currently, effective curative treatments are lacking. Exosomes, double-layer phospholipid vesicles containing bioactive components such as proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, play a pivotal role in intercellular communication. Under physiological conditions, exosomes contribute to kidney development (eg regulating of ureteric bud branching and nephron formation) and maintenance of cellular homeostasis (eg protection of the glomerular filtration barrier and regulation of electrolyte balance). In pathological conditions, damaged renal tubular epithelial cells (RTECs) and other renal cell types release exosomes carrying pro-fibrotic factors (eg miR-21, TGF-β), which activate fibroblasts and facilitate excessive extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, thereby accelerating the fibrotic process. Exosomes possess significant diagnostic value, as their protein components (eg Cp and CD2AP in urinary exosomes) and RNA cargo (eg lncRNA, miRNA, circRNA) may serve as biomarkers for renal function impairment. Therapeutically, exosomes derived from bone marrow, adipose tissue, umbilical cord, and urine can delay fibrosis through multiple mechanisms, including anti-inflammatory effects, antioxidant activity, promotion of angiogenesis, and regulation of signalling pathways (eg NOTCH, AKT). Engineered exosomes exhibit enhanced targeting and delivery efficiency through endogenous or exogenous loading methods, thereby further improving therapeutic efficacy. However, current research faces challenges including inconsistent methods of exosome isolation and purification, absence of standardised identification protocols, insufficient stability, and barriers to clinical translation. This review summarises the current progress in exosome research related to renal fibrosis, covering physiological and pathological roles, diagnostic and therapeutic potential, and existing challenges, aiming to facilitate translation from basic research to clinical practice and to provide novel strategies for precise diagnosis and treatment of renal fibrosis.

Indexed as

ExosomesKidneyKidney DiseasesRenal Insufficiency, ChronicAnimalsBiomarkersFibrosisHumansBiomarkersCKDECMexosomesMSCsrenal fibrosis

Identifiers

PMID40969664
PMCPMC12442909

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.