Ginger-derived nanovesicles attenuate osteoarthritis progression by inhibiting oxidative stress via the Nrf2 pathway

<b>Aim:</b> Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative joint disease. Previous studies demonstrated ginger-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (GDN) showed therapeutic effects in degenerative diseases. However, it remains unknown whether GDN could alleviate OA progression.<b>Materials & methods:</b> In this study, GDN were obtained and characterized. Then we evaluated the effects of GDN in tert-butyl hydroperoxide (TBHP)-induced chondrocytes, posttraumatic OA rat model and <i>ex vivo</i> cultured human OA cartilage explants.<b>Results:</b> We demonstrated GDN promoted cartilage anabolism and alleviated oxidative stress in TBHP-induced chondrocytes and OA rat. Our results also showed GDN exhibited protective effects in cultured cartilage explants. Furthermore, we verified the Nrf2 pathway was associated with protective effects of GDN.<b>Conclusion:</b> Altogether, our findings demonstrated GDN hold great potential for OA treatment.