Abstract

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) are widely applied in regenerative and immune modulating therapies. Initially, it was assumed that administered MSCs integrate into damaged tissues to exert their clinical functions. However, in recent years accumulating evidence has been provided that MSCs rather act in a paracrine than a cellular manner. To this end, extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are secreted by MSCs in vivo and in vitro, seem to exert the MSCs’ therapeutic effects. So far, MSC‐EVs have been shown to improve functional recoveries following ischemic events, such as stroke and myocardial infarction, and to suppress symptoms in inflammatory diseases, such as in Graft‐versus‐Host disease (GvHD). Here, we summarize and discuss some current aspects regarding the therapeutic potential of MSC‐EVs.