# Nanomotor‐Driven Extracellular Vesicles With Effective Tissue Penetration for Targeted Therapy of Primary Ovarian Insufficiency

**Authors:** Yaoqin Mu, Jiachen Wu, Mingwei Lv, Xinyi Zhang, Yinhua Song, Jihui Ai, Ding Ma, Kezhen Li

PMC · DOI: 10.1002/jev2.70249 · Journal of Extracellular Vesicles · 2026-03-01

## TL;DR

A new injectable hydrogel with nanomotor-driven extracellular vesicles improves ovarian function in mice with chemotherapy-induced infertility.

## Contribution

An injectable hydrogel with nanomotor-driven extracellular vesicles for targeted ovarian therapy is introduced.

## Key findings

- The nanomotor-driven extracellular vesicles penetrate ovarian tissue and restore ovarian function in POI mice.
- The therapy improves endocrine and reproductive functions by balancing oxidative stress and promoting angiogenesis.
- The hydrogel enhances EV stability and retention at the ovarian site.

## Abstract

Stem cells and their derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) offer hope for functional reconstruction and fertility in premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) caused by gonadotoxic drugs. However, the clinical application of EVs is impeded by their instability, limited tissue penetration, and lack of targeted delivery to ovarian injury sites. Here, we introduce an injectable hydrogel loaded with nanomotor‐driven EVs (LEVs‐Gel) for targeted POI therapy. In the POI ovarian microenvironment, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) are highly expressed, acting as chemoattractants to promote the chemotactic behavior of nanomotors LEVs. The LEVs are loaded in a thermosensitive hydrogel to enhance the retention and stability of EVs at the ovary. Following local injection of LEVs‐Gel into the ovaries of POI mice, the nanomotors LEVs effectively penetrated the epithelial layer and the tunica albuginea, significantly enhancing the permeability of the cortical and medullary regions. This intervention successfully restored ovarian endocrine and reserve functions, thereby improving reproductive fertility. Further mechanistic studies revealed that the therapeutic efficacy of LEVs‐Gel is mediated through the maintenance of oxidative‐antioxidative balance, inhibition of apoptosis, and promotion of ovarian angiogenesis. Overall, this integrated therapy presents a promising targeted strategy for patients with POI caused by chemotherapy.

## Linked entities

- **Proteins:** NOS2 (nitric oxide synthase 2)
- **Chemicals:** nitric oxide (PubChem CID 145068)
- **Species:** Mus musculus (taxon 10090)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** Hif1a (hypoxia inducible factor 1, alpha subunit) [NCBI Gene 15251] {aka HIF-1-alpha, HIF1-alpha, HIF1alpha, MOP1, bHLHe78}, Nos1 (nitric oxide synthase 1, neuronal) [NCBI Gene 18125] {aka 2310005C01Rik, N-NOS, NC-NOS, NO, NOS, NOS-I}, Nos2 (nitric oxide synthase 2, inducible) [NCBI Gene 18126] {aka MAC-NOS, NOS-II, Nos-2, Nos2a, i-NOS, iNOS}, Gss (glutathione synthetase) [NCBI Gene 14854] {aka GS-A/GS-B, GSH-S}, DCLK3 (doublecortin like kinase 3) [NCBI Gene 85443] {aka CLR, DCAMKL3, DCDC3C, DCK3}, Fshb (follicle stimulating hormone beta) [NCBI Gene 14308] {aka FSH, FSH-B, FSH-beta, Fshbeta}, Mki67 (antigen identified by monoclonal antibody Ki 67) [NCBI Gene 17345] {aka D630048A14Rik, Ki-67, Ki67}, H2ax (H2A.X variant histone) [NCBI Gene 15270] {aka H2A.X, H2afx, Hist5-2ax, gammaH2ax}, Cd34 (CD34 antigen) [NCBI Gene 12490], Vegfa (vascular endothelial growth factor A) [NCBI Gene 22339] {aka L-VEGF, Vegf, Vpf}, CD81 (CD81 molecule) [NCBI Gene 975] {aka CVID6, S5.7, TAPA1, TSPAN28}, TSG101 (tumor susceptibility 101) [NCBI Gene 7251] {aka TSG10, VPS23}, Ceacam1 (CEA cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 26365] {aka Bgp, Bgp1, C-CAM, CD66a, Cc1, Cea-1}, Casp3 (caspase 3) [NCBI Gene 12367] {aka A830040C14Rik, AC-3, CASP-3, CC3, CPP-32, CPP32}, CD9 (CD9 molecule) [NCBI Gene 928] {aka BTCC-1, DRAP-27, MIC3, MRP-1, TSPAN-29, TSPAN29}, CD63 (CD63 molecule) [NCBI Gene 967] {aka AD1, HOP-26, ME491, MLA1, OMA81H, Pltgp40}, Amh (anti-Mullerian hormone) [NCBI Gene 11705] {aka MIS}, NOS2 (nitric oxide synthase 2) [NCBI Gene 4843] {aka HEP-NOS, INOS, NOS, NOS2A}, Gpx1 (glutathione peroxidase 1) [NCBI Gene 14775] {aka CGPx, GPx-1, GSHPx-1, Gpx}, CANX (calnexin) [NCBI Gene 821] {aka CNX, IP90, P90}
- **Diseases:** cytotoxicity (MESH:D064420), osteoporosis (MESH:D010024), reproductive and endocrine dysfunctions (MESH:D004700), infertility (MESH:D007246), ovarian failure (MESH:C564499), follicular (MESH:D005497), ovarian dysfunction (MESH:D010049), ovulatory dysfunction (MESH:D006331), Ovarian Insufficiency (MESH:D010051), cancer (MESH:D009369), mitochondrial dysfunction (MESH:D028361), inflammation (MESH:D007249), POI (MESH:D016649), reproductive toxicity (MESH:D060737)
- **Chemicals:** L-Arg (MESH:D001120), urea (MESH:D014508), HE (-), cisplatin (MESH:D002945), hydrogen peroxide (MESH:D006861), LEV (MESH:D007978), glucose (MESH:D005947), ROS (MESH:D017382), PBS (MESH:D007854), eosin (MESH:D004801), lipid (MESH:D008055), agarose (MESH:D012685), BCA (MESH:C047117), steroids (MESH:D013256), E2 (MESH:D004958), FITC (MESH:D016650), paclitaxel (MESH:D017239), CS (MESH:D048271), PI (MESH:D010716), calcein-AM (MESH:C085925), 8-OHdG (MESH:D000080242), NO (MESH:D009569), cholesterol (MESH:D002784), cyclophosphamide (MESH:D003520), citrulline (MESH:D002956), DCFH-DA (MESH:C029569), CCK-8 (MESH:D012844)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]
- **Cell lines:** KGN — Homo sapiens (Human), Ovarian granulosa cell tumor, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0375)

## Full text

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## Figures

8 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12949997/full.md

## References

45 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12949997/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12949997