Senomorphic Small Extracellular Vesicles Delivered by a Tissue‐Adhesive α‐Lipoic‐Acid Hydrogel Enable Immuno‐Rejuvenation for Bone‐Tendon Interface Regeneration
Chronic inflammation-driven bone loss in aging compromises bone regeneration and further impairs the bone-tendon interface (BTI). However, the cellular mechanisms by which inflammation exacerbates cellular senescence and consequently disrupts BTI healing remain unclear. Here, we identify M1 macrophage-mediated inflammation as a key driver of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) senescence and bone microstructural deterioration. This senescence-associated decline in BMSCs ultimately compromises osteogenesis and delays BTI repair. To counteract these effects, we engineered a senomorphic and immunomodulatory platform by incorporating quercetin-primed senomorphic small extracellular vesicles (Sm-sEV) into a tissue-adhesive α-lipoic acid hydrogel (αLA-Gel) for sustained local delivery. The composite material modulates the inflammatory-senescent microenvironment by attenuating M1 macrophage-driven inflammation and enhancing BMSC resilience to inflammation-exacerbated senescence. Mechanistic analyses revealed that Sm-sEV/αLA-Gel suppresses cGAS-STING-NF-κB signaling, thereby reducing inflammation and improving BMSC resistance to senescence. In an osteoporotic rat rotator cuff repair model, Sm-sEV/αLA-Gel enhanced bone formation and fibrocartilage maturation, thereby promoting superior BTI integration and mechanical strength. Together, these findings identify inflammation-exacerbated BMSC senescence as a key pathological driver and demonstrate that dual regulation of inflammation and stem cell resilience enables robust regeneration of bone and the BTI under osteoporotic conditions.
Authors
- Hao Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8248-9513)
- Yanlun Zhu
- Haiyan Li
- Xinyue Yang
- Lingzhi Kong
- Wencai Liu
- Wei Song
- Yuhao Yu
Institutions
- Jinshan Hospital of Fudan University (CN)
- Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital (CN)
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics (CN)
- RMIT University (AU)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2026-04-07
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202524366
- Primary Topic
- Tendon Structure and Treatment
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai
- National Natural Science Foundation of China