Porcine plasma-derived extracellular vesicles orchestrate multi-target neuroimmune reconfiguration to alleviate Alzheimer’s disease pathology in a 5×FAD mouse model
BACKGROUND: Systemic factors found in young blood possess the capacity to revitalize the aging brain, yet the clinical translation of human-derived therapeutics is severely limited by donor scarcity. We hypothesized that porcine plasma-derived small extracellular vesicles (PpSEVs) could serve as a scalable, cross-species alternative by leveraging evolutionarily conserved bioactive cargoes. RESULTS: In this study, we demonstrate that PpSEVs efficiently penetrate the blood-brain barrier and show relative enrichment in the hippocampus CA3 region of 5×FAD mice. Transcriptomic profiling and functional assays reveal that PpSEVs reverse AD pathology by reconfiguring the dysregulated neuroimmune network rather than through broad immune suppression. Specifically, PpSEVs exert a dual-action effect on microglia by blocking caspase-1/GSDMD axis-mediated pyroptosis, while simultaneously enhancing CD68-dependent amyloid-β clearance. This microglial modulation occurs in tandem with the reprogramming of reactive astrocytes, characterized by the downregulation of neurotoxic C3 and the upregulation of neuroprotective S100A10. Furthermore, we identify a direct, glia-independent neurotrophic pathway in which PpSEVs activate neuronal BDNF signaling to rescue synaptic integrity and cognitive function. CONCLUSIONS: By demonstrating robust cross-species efficacy without provoking immunotoxicity, our study positions PpSEVs as a potent, multi-target intervention that decouples therapeutic benefits from human donor reliance, paving the way for sustainable, xenogeneic exosome-based AD therapies.
Authors
- Y X Zhang
- Yiling Jiang
- Shouwen Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8024-6489)
- Xiuqing Lin
- Q Liu
- Xiaoyang Lu
Institutions
- East China University of Science and Technology (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Neuroinflammation
- Published
- 2026-05-12
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1186/s12974-026-03866-4
- Primary Topic
- Extracellular vesicles in disease
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities