REVIEW article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol., 08 August 2025

Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Volume 13 - 2025 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1643408

Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cell extracellular vesicles – a potential tool for tissue regeneration and disease detection

  • 1. Department of Regenerative Medicine, Innovative Medicine Centre, Vilnius, Lithuania

  • 2. Department of Chemistry and Bioengineering, VilniusTech Faculty of Fundamental Sciences, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania

  • 3. Department of Environmental Technology, Kaunas University of Technology, Kaunas, Lithuania

Article metrics

View details

5

Citations

4,1k

Views

730

Downloads

Abstract

Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MenSCs) have emerged as a novel source for regenerative medicine, offering a unique alternative to traditional stem cell types, including adipose-derived and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells. MenSCs are characterized by their pluripotency, multi-lineage differentiation potential and immunomodulatory properties, which enable them to contribute to the regeneration of various tissues such as skin, uterus, muscle, connective tissues and nerves. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by MenSCs contain biologically active molecules, including proteins, lipids, and miRNAs, which play a key role in mediating these regenerative effects. Compared to other MSC-derived EVs, MenSC-EVs offer distinct advantages due to their enhanced regenerative capabilities and lower immunogenicity. Moreover, MenSC-EVs are a promising source for disease biomarkers in various diseases, including female reproductive system issues such as infertility. This manuscript reviews the latest findings on MenSCs and their EVs, highlighting their cargo composition, regenerative potential and as a source of biomarkers across multiple tissues, comparing their cargo profiles with EVs derived from other MSC sources.

1 Introduction

Over the past few decades, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have gained significant attention in regenerative medicine. Traditional sources of MSCs, such as adipose tissue and bone marrow, have been studied and applied in various models due to their multipotency, immunomodulatory properties, and secretion of bioactive molecules, establishing their regenerative potential (Lu et al., 2023; Lei et al., 2013; Tran et al., 2011; Baghaei et al., 2017; Maslennikov and Maksym, 2023; Lee et al., 2013; Asadian et al., 2021; Sober et al., 2023; Xie et al., 2009). However, alternative and relatively less studied sources for MSCs can offer unique advantages over conventional MSC sources. Menstrual blood, accessible without invasive procedures, provides an abundant reservoir of menstrual blood MSCs (MenSCs) possessing multipotency and even pluripotency-like features, including multi-lineage differentiation potential and the ability to promote regeneration of different tissues including the skin, uterus, bones, and muscles (Aleahmad et al., 2018; Rahimi et al., 2018; Mou et al., 2013; Sheikholeslami et al., 2021; Akhavan-Tavakoli et al., 2017; Meng et al., 2007). These features make MenSCs a valuable and a potential candidate for cellular therapy.

MSC extracellular vesicles (EVs), nano-sized particles that encapsulate bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids and RNA have attracted attention from both scientists and clinicians. Among them, MenSC-EVs have been studied the least. These EVs are key mediators of the regenerative and therapeutic effects of MenSCs, facilitating cellular communication and modulating immune responses (Robalo Cordeiro et al., 2024; Chen et al., 2021; de Pedro et al., 2023). Compared to EVs derived from other MSC sources, MenSCs-EVs exhibit enhanced regenerative properties, a lower immunogenic profile and a greater potential for personalized therapeutic applications. It was shown that MenSC-EVs possess potential wound healing properties, including cardiac, neural, liver tissue repair (Dalirfardouei et al., 2019; Lopez-Verrilli et al., 2016; Wang et al., 2017; Chen et al., 2017) and most importantly–hold promise in female reproductive tissue regeneration (Robalo Cordeiro et al., 2024; Marinaro et al., 2018; Zhang et al., 2021b). Furthermore, the cargo within MenSC-EVs is a potential source for disease biomarkers, offering new strategies in diagnostics and treatment for issues in female infertility and more. For instance, MenSC-EVs can be used for evaluation of endometriosis and endometriosis-related infertility compared to healthy donors (Cordeiro et al., 2023; Zhou et al., 2020). Additionally, undefined female infertility biomarkers can be detected and validated by MenSC-EVs (Vaiciuleviciute et al., 2025).

This review explores the characteristics and functions of MenSCs, comparing them to pluripotency-possessing embryonic stem cells and classical MSCs, focusing on their EVs as a novel therapeutic and diagnostic tool in regenerative medicine. By comparing MenSC-EV cargo to those from other MSC sources, we aim to highlight the unique properties of MenSCs in personalized therapy, tissue regeneration, and disease management, with an emphasis on different disease conditions, such as reproductive system, heart, liver and skin degeneration. Through this review, we illustrate the need for continued research to fully understand the potential of MenSC-EVs, aiming for improved clinical outcomes in the future.

2 Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells and their pluripotent-like properties

Endometrial cells exhibiting stemness were first discovered in 2004 (Gargett, 2004) and further characterized as a menstrual-blood stromal cell population in 2007 (firstly referred to as endometrial regenerative cells). MenSCs are collected from menstrual blood, which contains cellular material shed from the functionalis layer of the endometrium during the menstrual phase. This includes endometrial stromal cells and progenitor-like populations with mesenchymal and pluripotency-like features. Unlike amniotic fluid-derived MSCs, which have been shown to originate, at least in part, from exfoliated fetal kidney cells during nephrogenesis and deposited via fetal urine (Rahman et al., 2018), MenSCs represent an adult-derived MSC source from hormonally regulated, cyclic endometrial tissue of two major zones: the functional layer as well as a supportive stroma (Achmad and Götte, 2014).

It was shown that MenSCs possess more advantageous properties compared to BMMSCs, as they are easy to harvest, differentiate into a variety of tissue cells, have a high proliferative rate (doubling every 19.4 h, compared to around 40–45 h for BMMSCs) (Meng et al., 2007) and low immunogenicity (Chen et al., 2019; Gargett et al., 2016; Tabatabaei and Ai, 2017; Liu et al., 2018; Alcayaga-Miranda et al., 2015).

Furthermore, a great advantage of MenSCs is the ability to collect them repeatedly throughout the lifetime during menstruation, presenting potential use for autologous transplantation, and lack of ethical concerns compared to sourcing other types of stem cells. Menstrual blood can be kept at 4°C for up to 3 days with no changes in MenSC morphology, marker expression, proliferation capacity or differentiation potential, adding to the convenience of sourcing them from donors and transporting them prior to isolation and expansion (Liu et al., 2018). Also, an important part of MenSCs is their secretome, which has gained interest as a potential cell-free therapy, while retaining the immunomodulatory, stimulatory and paracrine effects of the cells themselves (Uzieliene et al., 2018; Uzieliene et al., 2023).

Over the last few decades, therapeutic potential of MenSCs has been considered in multiple in vitro studies, such as neural, cardiac, liver, lung, endometrium and cartilage diseases (Mou et al., 2013; Toyoda et al., 2007; Azedi et al., 2017; Uzieliene et al., 2023; Skliutė et al., 2021; Valatkaitė et al., 2021). In vivo studies also revealed positive results of MenSCs transplantation in the reproductive system. MenSCs transplanted to mice uterus, after endometrial-factor induced infertility, presented a positive impact on endometrium restoration and outcomes (Bausyte et al., 2023). Additionally, it was shown MenSCs increased fertility, number of offspring and restored the estrous cycle of mice after chemotherapy that resulted in ovarian degeneration, indicating the restoration of fertility and ovarian function (Lai et al., 2015). Likewise, a clinical trial with 36 poor ovarian responder women of mature age (>40) was carried out in 2018–2019, implanting autologous MenSCs into the ovaries. The therapy improved oocyte numbers and quality, fertility and overall success of pregnancy (Zafardoust et al., 2020), showing consistent results from MenSC therapy in ovarian health and fertility improvement even in human trials.

2.1 Phenotypic profile and differentiation capacity of MenSCs

MenSCs possess a typical MSC phenotypic profile (surface marker expression) compared to other MSCs, although they also express unique, pluripotency-related surface markers. The phenotypic analysis of in vitro expanded MenSCs revealed a positive expression for the surface markers CD44, CD73, CD90, and CD105 and negative for CD14, CD34, CD45, CD80, and HLA-DR, while endometrial MSCs have positive expression for CD73, CD90, CD105, CD13, CD29, CD44 markers and the absence of expression of the hematopoietic cell surface antigens CD19, CD34, CD45, CD117, CD130 and HLA-DR (class II) (Zemelko et al., 2012). Moreover, MenSCs possess pluripotency markers, such as Oct-4, SOX2, NANOG, and SALL-4, which make them a unique, MSC type, as compared to other sources MSCs (Borlongan et al., 2010). However, the expression of some pluripotency-associated markers in MenSCs does not equate to the full functional capacity of embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). To date, no definitive evidence has demonstrated the ability of MenSCs to differentiate into all three germ layers in vivo, which is a critical hallmark of true pluripotency. Thus, more comprehensive studies, including comparative transcriptomic and functional analyses are needed to validate MenSCs pluripotency, while currently MenSCs remain classified as multipotent.

A MenSC surface marker panel, including positive and negative markers (expressed and non-expressed) as well as differentiation capabilities, is provided in Table 1 and summarized in Figure 1, comparing them to embryonic stem cells, BMMSCs, umbilical cord (UC)/Wharton’s jelly, adipose tissue (ATMSCs), amniotic fluid and placental MSCs.

TABLE 1

Cell typePositive markersNegative markersDifferentiation potentialReferences
Embryonic stem cellsPluripotency markers: SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81, GCTM2, GCT343, CD9, SOX-2, OCT-4, NANOG, TDGF, GABRB3, DNMT3B,GDF3
class I HLA
Mesenchymal markers
CD44
All three embryonic germ layers: mesodermal, ectodermal, endodermalNagano et al. (2008)
Quintanilla et al. (2014), Reubinoff et al. (2000), Asprer and Lakshmipathy (2015)
MenSCsMesenchymal markers: CD9, CD10, CD29, CD44, CD72, CD73, CD90, CD105, and CD146
Pluripotency markers Oct-4, SOX2, NANOG, and SALL-4
Haematopoietic markers CD34, CD38, CD45, CD117, CD133
Endothelial marker: CD31
Antigen: HLA-DR
Embryonic marker: SSEA-4
Immune cell marker: CD14, CD80
Cancer marker: CD117
Mesenchymal marker: STRO-1
Chondrogenic
Adipogenic
Osteogenic
Cardiogenic
Hepatocyte-like cells
Glucose-sensitive beta like-cells
Oocyte-like cells
Keratinocytes
Nucleus pulposus-like cells
Myogenic-like
Endothelial-like
Respiratory endothelial-like
Neural-like
Izanlou et al. (2023), Hojjat et al. (2023), Hu et al. (2014), Aleahmad et al. (2018), Rahimi et al. (2018), Mou et al. (2013), Sheikholeslami et al. (2021), Akhavan-Tavakoli et al. (2017), Meng et al. (2007)
BMMSCsMesenchymal markers: CD13, CD29, CD44, CD58, CD71, CD73, CD90, CD105, CD106 CD146, CD166, CD271Haematopoietic markers: CD34, CD45
Immune cell marker: CD14, CD19
Endothelial marker: CD31
Antigen: HLA-DR
Chondrogenic
Adipogenic (brown fat)
Osteogenic
Lu et al. (2023)
Re et al. (2023)
UC/Whartton’s jelly-MSCMesenchymal markers
CD29, CD44, CD51, CD56, CD73, CD90 CD105, CD146, CD166
Pluripotency markers: low levels of Tra-1-60, Tra-1-81, NANOG, OCT-4, SSEA-3, SSEA-4
Immune cell marker: CD14, CD19
Haematopoietic markers: CD34, CD45
Antigen: HLA-DR
Chondrogenic
Adipogenic
Osteogenic
Epithelial-like
Neural-like
Hepatic-like
Myogenic-like
Cardiac-like
Insulin-producing cells
Oocyte-like cells
Wang et al. (2004), Margossian et al. (2012), Maslennikov and Maksym (2023), Sober et al. (2023), Toyota et al. (2021), Abouelnaga et al. (2022), Majore et al. (2011), Chen et al. (2016)
ATMSCsMesenchymal markers: CD9, CD10, CD13, CD73, CD29, CD49e, CD54, CD55, CD79a CD166 and ALCAM, CD44, CD144, CD90, CD105, CD146, CD106, (HLA)-ABC, CD271Haematopoietic markers: CD45
Endothelial marker: CD31
Immune cell marker: CD14, CD11b, CD19, CD56
Melanoma marker: CD146
Adipogenic (brown fat)
Osteogenic
Chondrogenic
Yang et al. (2024), Rebelatto et al. (2008)
Amniotic fluid MSCsMesenchymal markers: CD29, CD 90, CD105, CD73, CD44, CD166
Pluripotency markers: Oct-4, SSEA-4, c-Myc
Immune cell marker: CD14
Endothelial marker: CD31
Haematopoietic markers: CD34, CD45, CD117
Chondrogenic
Osteogenic
Adipogenic
Myogenic-like
Neural-like
Oocyte-like cells
Keratinocytes
Insulin-producing
Hepatic-like
Vascular endothelial-like
Shamsnajafabadi and Soheili (2022), Portmann-Lanz et al. (2006), Sober et al. (2023), Maslennikov and Maksym (2023), Toyota et al. (2021), Abouelnaga et al. (2022), Yu et al. (2014); Lan et al. (2020), Zheng et al. (2008), Markmee et al. (2017), Mu et al. (2017), Naeem et al. (2022)
Placental MSCsMesenchymal markers: CD105, CD146, CD29, CD73, CD90, MHC I, CD49a, CD105, CD106, CD13, CD166, CD146, HLA-ABC
Pluripotent markers: SSEA-4, mRNA of Nanog, Sox2, Rex-1
Immune cell marker: CD14, CD40, CD80 and CD86
Haematopoietic markers: CD34, CD45
Endothelial marker: CD31
Antigen: HLA-DR
BMMSC marker: CD271
Chondrogenic
Osteogenic
Adipogenic
Myogenic-like
Neural-like
Cardiac-like
Hepatic-like
Insulin-producing
Oocyte-like
Vellasamy (2012), Castrechini et al. (2010), Tran et al. (2011), Abumaree et al. (2013), Maslennikov and Maksym (2023), Sober et al. (2023), Portmann-Lanz et al. (2006), Toyota et al. (2021), Abouelnaga et al. (2022), Roberts et al. (2019), Chien et al. (2006), Sun and Ji (2009), Asgari et al. (2017)

MenSC surface marker expression and differentiation potential, as compared to embryonic, BMMSC, ATMSC, UC/Wharton jelly MSC, amniotic fluid and placental MSCs.

FIGURE 1

Beside phenotypical differences with other types of stem cells, MenSCs also differ in their differentiation capabilities. It is known that MenSCs differentiate into a wide range of cell types, and are even able to differentiate into cardiomyocytes with the functions of spontaneously beating cells after induction, resulting in the decreased myocardial infarction area in a rat model (Hida et al., 2008; Ikegami et al., 2010). Furthermore, it has been shown that MenSCs are capable of differentiation into neural, epidermal-like cells (Azedi et al., 2017; Faramarzi et al., 2016; Chen et al., 2015; Toyoda et al., 2007), functional hepatocytes (Mou et al., 2013) and even oocyte-like cells (Asgari et al., 2017) which suggest a superior spectrum of their differentiation potential compared to other tissue MSCs.

2.2 MenSCs secretome

MenSCs secrete large amounts of paracrine factors, including growth factors responsible for endometrium regeneration, which may be a potential co-stimulant for other tissue regeneration purposes (Chen et al., 2019; Liu et al., 2018). MenSCs also secrete angiogenic factors VEGF, HGF, ANG and MMP-1 and different cytokines (IL-6, IL-8 and IFN-gamma), and most importantly, MenSCs were shown to be safe to transplant due to their low tumorigenicity (Liu et al., 2018). The secretome of MenSCs also includes EVs, containing proteins or miRNAs (more information in section 2). Different studies reported secretion of various growth factors by MenSCs. Table 2 summarizes all current findings on MenSCs secretome, including protein family, functions and comparison to other types of MSCs.

TABLE 2

FamilyFactorsFunctionMenSC secretome comparison to other MSC typesReferences
Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) FamilyEGFStimulate cell growth, proliferation, and differentiationNot comparedJiang and Wang, (2012)
Fibroblast/keratinocyte Growth Factor (FGF/KGF) FamilybFGF
KGF
MenSCs secrete more than BMMSCsAlcayaga-Miranda et al. (2015), Ren et al. (2016)
Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) FamilyVEGF, angiopoietin-1 (Ang-1), angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1)vascular remodeling and angiogenesisNo difference in secretion of Ang-1, BMMSC secrete more Ang-2 compared to MenSC
No differences in secretion of SDF-1, VEGF between MenSC and BMMSC
MenSCs had higher VEGF secretion than dental pulp MSCs in early passages
Manshori et al. (2022), Jiang and Wang (2012), Li et al. (2023), Li et al. (2019)
Transforming Growth Factor-Beta (TGF-β) FamilyTGF-β, Growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15)Cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosisNot comparedJiang and Wang (2012), Li et al. (2023)
Neurotrophin (NT) FamilyBrain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), β-Nerve Growth Factor (β-NGF), Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), Neurotrophin-4/5 (NT-4/5), Artemin (ARTN), Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), Neurturin (NTN), Prospero Homeobox Protein 1 (PSPN), Cerebral Dopamine Neurotrophic Factor (CDNF), Mesencephalic Astrocyte-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (MANF)Promote survival and differentiation of neuronsNot comparedLi et al. (2019)
Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF) FamilyHGFCell growth, cell motility, and morphogenesisNo differences in secretion of HGF between MenSC and BMMSC; MenSCs had a higher secretion than dental pulp MSCsManshori et al. (2022), Li et al. (2019), Ren et al. (2016)
Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF) FamilyIGF-1Particularly muscle and bone growth and developmentNot comparedLi et al. (2019)
Inhibitors of Apoptosis (IAP) FamilyX-linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein (XIAP)Suppresses apoptosisNot comparedLi et al. (2023)
Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF) FamilyHypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 α (HIF-1α)Cellular response to low oxygen conditions, involved in processes like angiogenesis and metabolismMenSC secrete more than BMMSCManshori et al. (2022)
Thrombospondins FamilyThrombospondin-1, -2, and -5Play roles in angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, and cell adhesionNot comparedLi et al. (2023)
Interleukins (IL)Interleukin-1β (IL-1β)Involved in the inflammatory responseBMMSC secrete more than MenSCManshori et al. (2022)
Colony-stimulating Factor (CSF)Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)Immune and inflammatory response, MSC mobilization and migrationMenSC secretion significantly higher than umbilical cord MSCMeng et al. (2007), Kim et al. (2019)

MenSCs secreted proteins and comparison to other types of MSCs.

Factors secreted by MenSCs already showed positive immunomodulatory, cardioprotective, angiogenic and regenerative effects. Paracrine effects of MenSCs were analysed in numerous studies and their effects were proposed being more superior to BMMSCs (Alcayaga-Miranda et al., 2015). For instance, MenSC paracrine factors possessed promising results in rat model of myocardial infarction by reducing apoptosis of cells and stimulating endogenous regeneration, while transplantation of MenSCs achieved significantly better cardiac performance than BMMSCs or ATMSCs (Jiang et al., 2013; Wang et al., 2017). Important to note, BMMSCs were shown to secrete higher concentrations of IL-1β (Jiang and Wang, 2012; Manshori et al., 2022). Also, it was revealed that MenSC secrete higher amounts of EGF, FGF and HIF-1α, as compared to BMMCS, while no differences were observed in VEGF or angiopoietin secretion, which were higher in the MenSC secretome compared to UC and dental pulp MSCs. Moreover, MenSC secrete higher levels of HGF than dental pulp MSCs and higher levels of GM-CSF compared to UCMSCs.

Noteworthy, MenSC secretome can be modulated by different environmental conditions. For instance, under hypoxic conditions MenSCs secreted significantly higher levels of VEGF, while EGF and TGF-β secretion was not affected (Jiang and Wang, 2012; Alcayaga-Miranda et al., 2015). Hypoxia can also enhance the release of EVs, as previously shown in UCMSCs (Zhang et al., 2012). Moreover, it was demonstrated that endometrial MSC MiRNAs: miR-148a-3p, hsa-miR-378a-3p (related to angiogenesis, wound healing), hsa-miR-424-5p (associated with angiogenesis), hsa-miR-23a-3p, and hsa-miR-let-7a-5p (related to immune modulation) were the most widely expressed in acute hypoxic conditions (0.1%-1%), while hsa-miR-34a-5p (reduces expression of VEGF), hsa-miR-532-5p, hsa-miR-221-3p, hsa-miR-93-5p (regulating cell cycle and proliferation) were detected only under normoxic conditions (de Pedro et al., 2023). These results are directly associated with MenSC physiological behavior in vivo and differences obtained in vitro.

In order to stimulate MenSC immunomodulator or regenerative properties, MenSCs can be additionally stimulated by external factors using different cultivation conditions. MenSCs increase IDO1 secretion and EVs release under treatment with IFN-γ and TNF-α (de Pedro et al., 2021). bFGF and 5-aza increased the levels of VEGF, SDF-1, HIF-1α, IL-1β, and ANG-1 secretion from MenSCs (Manshori et al., 2022). Moreover, MenSCs may help protect insulin-producing pancreatic β-cells from autoimmune attack in type 1 diabetic mice. By modulating immune responses, these cells could potentially slow disease progression and preserve insulin production (Wu et al., 2014).

3 MenSC EVs and their cargo

EVs isolated from human bodily fluids, such as blood, urine, saliva, or cell culture supernatants have emerged as a promising approach for non-invasive therapies and diagnostics, also known as “liquid biopsy” because of their selectively packed cargo, including proteins, lipids and nucleic acids (Yokoi et al., 2015; Jia et al., 2014; Ciferri et al., 2021; Matsuzaka and Yashiro, 2022). The cargo of EVs is essential for cellular responses and can regulate various physiological and pathological processes, as well as serve as potential biomarkers for diagnosis (Mir and Goettsch, 2020). MenSC-EVs have demonstrated regenerative properties, primarily due to their capacity to transport cargo to recipient cells and modulate key signaling pathways associated with cell survival, differentiation, and proliferation (Robalo Cordeiro et al., 2024; Chen et al., 2021; de Pedro et al., 2023). A schematic representation of MenSC-EV composition is presented in Figure 2.

FIGURE 2

The composition of EV cargo is highly specific and depends on the cell type, metabolic state, and presence of disease. Furthermore, the cargo of EVs is the main factor that defines their mechanism of action, application possibilities, and therapeutic effects (Mir and Goettsch, 2020; Figueroa-Valdés et al., 2021).

3.1 MenSCs and other MSC EV protein cargo

Mainly, MenSC-EVs carry proteins related to processes such as cellular transport, including vesicle-mediated transport or cell adhesion and migration. An additional group of proteins is related to cellular components, including extracellular organelles, membrane components and parts of the cytosol. MenSC-EVs are also enriched with different binding proteins. Upon evaluation of the functional properties of the most abundant proteins in MenSC-EVs, it was determined that the majority are associated with immune system processes and extracellular matrix (ECM) organization (de Pedro et al., 2023). Additionally, MenSC-EVs contain various bioactive molecules, including cytokines. A comparative analysis of MenSCs and MenSC-EVs revealed that the latter contain higher concentrations of IL-6 and IL-8, intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), angiopoietin-2, Axl, angiogenin, insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 6 (IGFBP-6), and osteoprotegerin (Chen et al., 2017). Moreover, it was reported that MenSC-EV are enriched with E3 ubiquitin ligase (UBR4), which inhibited fibrosis of rat endometrial stromal cells by affecting YAP activity (Qi et al., 2023).

The culturing conditions of MenSCs significantly alter the cargo and the EV-associated proteome. Proinflammatory conditions were found to downregulate proteins related to wound healing, adhesion and migration processes and upregulate proteins involved in angiogenesis and inflammatory responses. As an example, MenSCs cultured under physioxic conditions (1%–2% O2) secreted EVs enriched with proteins related to cell adhesion and intracellular transport. Acute hypoxia (<1% O2) had different effects on EV cargo–it upregulated proteins associated with cell adhesion, cell migration and angiogenesis pathways (de Pedro et al., 2023).

At present, the available information regarding MenSC-EV cargo is relatively limited in relation to MSC-derived EVs from alternative sources, such as ATMSCs, BMMSCs, and UCMSCs. BMMSC-EVs contain proteins involved in ion and other protein transport. In addition, proteins associated with cell cycle regulation, transcription and translation regulation, cell adhesion and lipid metabolism, apoptosis and inflammation were identified in BMMSCs. Upon classification of proteins according to cellular components, the majority of proteins were found to be associated with the cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (McBride et al., 2021).

ATMSC-EVs encompass a multitude of proteins which play crucial roles in various biological processes. These processes include cellular migration, modulation of immune responses, proliferation of cells, formation of new blood vessels, metabolism of osteocytes, and regeneration of nerve tissue (Alonso-Alonso et al., 2022).

Human UCMSC exosomes are enriched with proteins related to different mechanisms and signaling pathways. The majority of proteins detected in UCMSC exosomes play roles in modulating various biological processes, including complement response, HIF-1, MAPK signaling, metabolic pathways, NF-κB pathway, and microbial infection. Additionally, proteins related to PI3K-AKT, cholesterol metabolism, IgA production, VEGF, and B-cell receptor signaling pathways were detected (Bi et al., 2022). Table 3 presents a more detailed categorization of cargo proteins in different MSC-derived EVs and their respective functions.

TABLE 3

Source of EVsMethod of EV isolationProteinsFunctionReferences
MenSCsUltracentrifugation (UC)N/AProtein, ATP, RNA, enzyme, collagen, cadherin binding
ECM organisation
ECM-receptor interaction
Platelet activation, signaling and aggregation
Elastic fibre formation
Non-integrin membrane-ECM interactions
GPER1 signaling
Post-translational protein phosphorylation
B cell receptor signaling pathway
Positive regulation of cell motility
L1CAM interactions
Acute inflammatory response
Basement membrane organisation
Complement system
Response to hormone/steroid hormone
Humoral immune response
ADP metabolic process
de Pedro et al. (2023)
ExoQuick-TCIL-6, IL-8, ICAM-1, Axl, IGFBP-6Inflammatory and Immune ResponseChen et al. (2017)
Filtration/centrifugation combinationCOL1A1, COL1A2, COL3A1, COL5A1, COL5A2, COL6A1, COL6A3, COL12A1, LUM, ECM1, SPARC, TGFBI, PCOLCEECM and Structural ProteinsMarinaro et al. (2019)
VIM, ACTN1, ACTN4, ACTA1, ACTB, FLNA, VCL, MYH9, TPM1, TPM4, PFN1Cytoskeletal and Structural Proteins
LGALS1, LGALS3BP, ISLR, SPON2, CLSTN1Cell Adhesion and Signaling Proteins
TIMP1, TIMP2, MMP2, MMP3, SERPINF1, CST3, A2MProtease Inhibitors and Enzymatic Regulators
ALB, HPX, PSAP, NUCB1, PPIA, PPIBPlasma and Transport Proteins
IGFBP5, IGFBP7, DKK3Growth Factor Binding Proteins
THBS1, C1S, C1R, NID1, PTGDS, TAGLNFunctional Proteins
BMMSCsExoQuick-TC® ULTRA EV Isolation Kit
UC
CACNA1G, CACNA1H, CACNB2, RYR1, ATP2C1, S100A8Calcium transport-related proteinsMcBride et al. (2021)
Pomatto et al. (2021)
UCSCN4A, SCN10A, TRPM2Sodium-related channelsPomatto et al. (2021)
RPB1, MINATranscriptional regulators
CCL2, CSF3, CXCL1, CXCL9, IL-10Inflammatory and Immune Response
FN1, THBS1Extracellular matrix and cell adhesion
EPO, PDGFRA, NRG3, RETGrowth factors
LYN, TECSignal Transduction and Kinases
ALDOA, MAN2B1Metabolism and Enzymes
APOA4, NPTX1, POMC, MUSKNeural and Neuroendocrine Function
ATMSCsUCADGRB1, IL1R1, IL1RL1, IL2RB, LHCGR, PDGFRB, TNFRSF13C, TNFRSF8Receptors and Signal Transduction
Receptors involved in cell communication, proliferation, immune response and immune cell activation
Pomatto et al. (2021)
Xing et al. (2020)
ANGPT1, BMP5, BMP7, FGF10, FGF16, FGF18, GDF1Growth Factors and Developmental Proteins
C2, CCHCR1, CCL19, CCL28, CCL4, CSF2RA, CXCL2, LAG3, LTA, TNFImmune system proteins
CLU, DKK4, MMP20, MUC16Extracellular Matrix and Structural Proteins
ALPP, CHI3L1, CKB, EPX, HRG, IAPPMetabolic and Enzymatic Proteins
UBBUbiquitin-Related Protein
UCMSCsUCTALDO1, LDHA, ENO1Metabolism and Energy ProductionBi et al. (2022)
MARCKS, DSTN, CFL1, MSN, CDC42, NRASCytoskeletal and Structural Proteins
YWHAZ, YWHAH, YWHAG, NAP1L1, EIF4A1, SRI, PRDX6Signaling and Regulatory Proteins
SLC44A2, SLC39A14, SLC1A5, RAB11B, TSPAN4Membrane and Transport Proteins
HSPAB, CNDP2, PPIAStress Response and Enzymatic Proteins
UCFN1, EMLIN1, OLFML3, ITGA4ECM and Adhesion ProteinsBi et al. (2022)
CORO1A, DNMIL, FARP1Cytoskeletal and Structural Proteins
APOE, APOC3, PLTP, PYGBPlasma and Transport Proteins
PRKAR28, PPPICB, GNAO, RABSA, NAPASignaling and Regulatory Proteins
JCHAIN, C4BImmune System and Complement Proteins
UCCOL6A1, COL6A2, COL6A3, EDIL3, ITGA6, ITGB1, ITGA2, ITGA2B, ILK, TLN1, FERMT3ECM and Structural ProteinsBi et al. (2022)
ACTC1, ACTN1, ACTR3, ANXA1, ANXA3, ANXA7, ANXA11, ARPC1B, ARPC2, CAPZA1, CAPZB, CNN2, FLNA, GAPDH, PGK1, PFKP, RAP1B, ROCK2, SRC, TPM4, VCL, WASF2, WDR1Cytoskeletal and Structural Proteins
CD9, CLU, CORO1C, FCGBP, LGALS1, LGALS3BP, SND1, STXBP2, TAGLN2Cell Adhesion and Signaling Proteins
A2M, ADAM10, SERPIND1, SERPINE1, SERPINE2, ITIH2, ITIH4, MME, C3, C1R, F13A1Protease Inhibitors and Enzymatic Regulators
A2M, APOA1, APOA4, APOB, APOC1, APOD, APOL1, CEMP, CP, FGA, F5, HP, Gc, HBA1Plasma and Transport Proteins
ADH5, CBR1, GAPDH, PFKP, PKM, PGK1Metabolism and Energy Production Proteins
ARF4, RAB1A, RAB7A, RAB14GTPases and Vesicular Transport Proteins
HSP90B1, STOMHeat Shock and Stress Response Proteins
AP1B1, CAP1, CLTCClathrin and Vesicle Trafficking Proteins
HLA-A, IGHMImmune System and Complement Proteins

Comparison of EVs protein cargo from different sources of MSCs.

3.2 MenSCs and other MSC EV miRNA cargo

MenSC-derived EVs contain a broad range of microRNAs (miRNAs). The identified mi RNAs in MenSC-EVs included let-7a-5p, miR-143-3p, miR-21-5p, let-7b-5p, let-7f-5p, miR-16-5p, miR-199a-3p, miR-199b-3p, miR-126-3p, let-7i-5p, miR-26a-5p, which are involved in the regulation of cell cycle, proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and angiogenesis (Marinaro et al., 2019). Let-7 and miR-21 play crucial roles in controlling mitochondrial-DNA damage, promoting cell survival and proposed to provide superior cardioprotection and alleviate pulmonary fibrosis (Wang et al., 2017; Sun et al., 2019). Cargo of MenSC-EVs also contain information related to certain diseases and their predispositions to them. The elevated levels of miR-4443 found in MenSC-EVs were discovered to play a role in the progression of endometriosis. This specific miRNA was found to suppress ACSS2 expression and as a result activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. This activation resulted in enhanced migration and proliferation of endometrial stem cells (Ji et al., 2024).

An analysis of EVs from MenSCs, BMMSCs, and ATMSCs revealed that MenSC-EVs exhibited the highest levels of miR-21 among the three sources of EVs. Additionally, the paracrine effect of MenSCs on rat myocardial infarction was compared to that of BMMSCs and ATMSCs. MenSCs were found to enhance cardioprotection through the transfer of miR-21 via EVs. miR-21 from menstrual blood EVs downregulated phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), enhancing Akt survival kinase activity, resulting in reduced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes and improved angiogenesis in endothelial cells (Wang et al., 2017). This finding demonstrates the superior cardioprotective effect of MenSC-EV cargo compared to BMMSC or ATMSC EVs. Additionally, EVs derived from MenSCs attenuate severe pulmonary inflammation and damage through the transmission of miRNA-671. This miRNA is known to target the kinase AAK1 for post-transcriptional degradation. AAK1 positively regulates the NF-κB signaling pathway (Lian et al., 2023).

MiRNAs highly expressed in BMMSC-EVs were found to be associated with cellular proliferation, death, metabolism and immune regulation (miRs-21, miR-22, miR-26a, miR-10b, miR-99b, miR-125b, and miR-148a) (Vaka et al., 2023; Baglio et al., 2015). In comparison with BMMSC-EVs, UCMSC-EVs are enriched with miRNA related to regenerative processes, aging and cell proliferation (Vaka et al., 2023). Several studies reported, that the most abundant miRNA in UCMSC-EVs are miR-16, miR-21, miR-23, miR-34, miR-146a and miR-222, which are associated with cell proliferation and immune regulation (Jothimani et al., 2022). MenSC-EV and other MSC EV miRNAs are presented in Table 4.

TABLE 4

Source of EVsMethod of EV isolationmiRNAFunctionReferences
MenSCsMagCapture Exosome isolation kitlet-7Cell Cycle and Proliferation, apoptosis and tumor suppressionSun et al. (2019)
UCmiR-21Cell Cycle and Proliferation, Apoptosis and Tumor suppressionWang et al. (2017)
UCmiR-4443InflammationJi et al. (2024)
UCmiR-671NeuroprotectionLian et al. (2023)
Filtration/centrifugation combinationlet-7a-5p, let-7b-5p, let-7f-5p, let-7c-5p, let-7i-5p, let-7e-5p, let-7g-5p
miR-21-5p, miR-126-3p, miR-126-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-103a-3p, miR-486-5p
Cell Cycle and ProliferationMarinaro et al. (2019)
miR-143-3p, miR-145-5p, miR-34a-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-203aApoptosis and Tumor Suppression
miR-126-3p, miR-126-5p, miR-221-3p, miR-222-3pAngiogenesis and Vascular Regulation
miR-142-3p, miR-142-5p, miR-223-3p, miR-155-5p, miR-451aInflammation and Immune Response
miR-122-5p, miR-425-5p, miR-191-5pMetabolism and Homeostasis
miR-125b-5p, miR-125a-5p, miR-23a-3p, miR-23b-3p, miR-26a-5p, miR-26b-5p, miR-30a-5p, miR-30d-5p, miR-30e-5pStem Cell Regulation and Differentiation
BMMSCsUClet-7a-5p, let-7e-5p, miR-197-3p, miR-342-3p, miR-99a-5pTumor Suppression and Cancer RegulationPomatto et al. (2021)
miR-483-5p
miR-484
Inflammation and Immune Response
miR-130b-3p, miR-199a-3p, miR-365a-3p, miR-365b-3pCell Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis
miR-10b-5p
miR-29b-3p
miR-483-5p
Metabolism and Organ Development
UCmiR-199a-3p
miR-23a-3p
let-7b-5p
let-7a-5p, miR-125b-5p
Tumor Suppression and Cancer RegulationVaka et al. (2023)
miR-155-5pInflammation and Immune Response
miR-877-5p
miR-4454
Metabolic Regulation and Cellular Homeostasis
ATMSCsUCmiR-10a-5p
miR-125b-1-3p, miR-126-5p, miR-129-2-3p, miR-136-3p, miR-137, miR-140-5p, miR-144-5p, miR-145-3p
miR-148a-3p, miR-148b-5p, miR-149-5p
Tumor Suppression and Cancer RegulationPomatto et al. (2021)
Xing et al. (2020)
miR-142-3p, miR-181a-2-3pImmune System and Inflammation
miR-1291Metabolism and Drug Resistance
miR-1226-5p
miR-1270
Cell Proliferation, Differentiation and Apoptosis
UCMSCsUCmiR-21-5p, miR-423-5pOncogenic miRNAs and Cancer ProgressionBi et al. (2022)
miR-146a-5pInflammation and Immune Response
miR-320a-3pCardiovascular and Metabolic Regulation
let-7i-5pTumor Suppression and Cell Cycle Regulation
UCmiR-125b-5p, and miR-145-5pTumor Suppression and Cancer RegulationShi et al. (2021)
miR-23a-3pCell Proliferation, Apoptosis and Differentiation
UCmiR-125b, miR-199a-3p, miR-765, miR-28-5p, miR-100-5pTumor Suppression and Cancer RegulationVaka et al. (2023)
miR-223-3pInflammation and Immune Response
miR23a-3p, miR-4454Cellular Homeostasis and Stress Response

Comparison of EVs miRNA cargo from different sources of MSCs.

4 MenSC-EV potential in tissue regeneration

MenSC-EVs showed promising therapeutic potential for regeneration of different tissues, but the most significant effects were demonstrated for the regeneration of female reproductive system tissues, including endometrium and ovaries in diseases, such as Premature Ovarian Insufficiency (POI) and Intrauterine Adhesion (IUA). In addition to that, numerous studies have also indicated the MenSC-EV therapeutic potential on wound healing, neural, liver, heart tissue repair and more.

4.1 MenSCs-EV therapeutic effect on female reproductive tissues

In a rat model of POI induced by chemotherapeutic agents, MenSC-EVs restored ovarian function by increasing ovarian weight, follicle numbers at various developmental stages, and serum estrogen levels. The therapeutic effects were associated with activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, inhibition of apoptosis, and overall enhancement of ovarian microenvironment stability (Robalo Cordeiro et al., 2024). MenSC-EVs contribute to endometrial repair by enhancing cell proliferation and stimulating VEGF production, which promotes angiogenesis (Marinaro et al., 2018). A study by Zhang et al. demonstrated that MenSC-EVs had the effect of promoting ovarian cell proliferation, inhibiting apoptosis and regulating the ovarian extracellular matrix, while increasing the expression of follicle markers DAZL and FOXL2 in rat ovaries. Also, MenSC exosome injections restored the female rat estrous cycle and increased fertility, as treated subjects exhibited increased endometrial thickness, improved glandular formation and reduced fibrosis. Notably, repeated EV administration enhanced endometrial receptivity and improved embryo implantation rates, suggesting potential clinical applications in infertility treatment (Zhang et al., 2021b).

4.2 MenSCs-EV therapeutic effect on other tissues

MenSC-EVs have demonstrated efficacy in wound healing by promoting fibroblast proliferation, collagen synthesis, and reducing oxidative stress (Zhang et al., 2023). MiRNA cargo, including miR-21 and miR-29, facilitates keratinocyte migration and differentiation, accelerating skin repair. In models of skin injury, MenSC-EVs have been shown to accelerate wound by promoting the growth of new skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts), increasing collagen production. MenSC-EV treatment promoted re-epithelialization, increased angiogenesis, and modulated inflammation, leading to improved healing outcomes in a diabetic mouse model (Dalirfardouei et al., 2019). These effects suggest their potential use in treating chronic wounds or burns.

MenSC-EVs have also shown ability to promote axonal regeneration and functional recovery following neural injury, further underscoring their broad therapeutic utility (Lopez-Verrilli et al., 2016). Moreover, MenSC-EVs can alleviate fulminant hepatic failure. In experimental models, these EVs reduced liver inflammation and promoted hepatocyte proliferation, leading to improved liver function (Chen et al., 2017). Additionally, MenSC-EVs have been shown to promote angiogenesis and reduce scarring in heart tissue, ultimately improving heart function and reducing long-term damage (Wang et al., 2017). And as mentioned before, MenSC-EVs may help slow down fibrosis by reducing the activity of fibroblasts (cells that contribute to scarring) and lowering levels of fibrotic markers, leading to improved lung function as well (Chen et al., 2021).

In cancer therapy, it was shown that MenSC-EVs block tumor associated angiogenesis and could be used as a tool for cancer treatment. MenSC-EVs reduced the secretion of VEGF and NF-κB activity in human prostate PC3 tumor cells (Alcayaga-Miranda et al., 2015). Other studies additionally emphasize the pro-angiogenic effect of MenSC-EVs (Chang et al., 2021a; Wang et al., 2017). Therefore, the precise mechanism of this targeted action of MenSC-EVs remains unclear.

MenSC-EVs also exhibit immunomodulatory properties by regulating T-cell proliferation, macrophage polarization, and inflammatory cytokine production (Song et al., 2023; Qi et al., 2023). This suggests potential therapeutic applications in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory disorders, and systemic tissue repair.

5 MenSC and menstrual blood EVs–a source for disease biomarkers and future diagnostic strategies

EVs show a great potential in diagnostics of different pathologies with leading studies related to early cancer detection, monitoring tumor progression and response to treatment (Weng J. et al., 2021; Kumar et al., 2024). EVs also showed promising results in detection of neurodegenerative diseases (Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer disease) as they had increased levels of tau proteins, contributed to the diagnosis of cardiac diseases (cardiac fibrosis, ischemic heart disease, heart failure and others) with increased levels of miR-133a, miR-499, miR-199a, pregnancy disorders with higher numbers of circulating EVs in preeclamptic and eclamptic women (Ciferri et al., 2021; Liu et al., 2021; Zhang et al., 2022; Smith and Russell, 2022). EVs could potentially improve diagnostic accuracy and further treatment decisions. The main advantages of EVs for diagnostic approaches include stability in circulation and ability to protect their cargo (Kodam and Ullah, 2021). Nevertheless, challenges remain in EV isolation, especially from human biofluids. Their characterization needs advanced analysis methods, such as digital PCR, mass spectrometry, also in addition to proper storage to keep them intact for clinical application (Weng Z. et al., 2021; Jia et al., 2014; Kodam and Ullah, 2021). Despite these challenges, EVs hold significant promise for improving disease diagnosis and monitoring.

EVs isolated from various reproductive biofluids, including follicular fluid, uterine fluid, peritoneal fluid and serum, alongside the endometrium and endometrial lesions have exhibited significant alterations in miRNAs in pathological conditions such as PCOS premature ovarian insufficiency, endometriosis, and recurrent spontaneous abortion (Duval et al., 2024; Esfandyari et al., 2021). However, conventional diagnostic procedures, such as endometrial biopsies and follicular fluid collection are often invasive, painful, and associated with potential complications (Terzic et al., 2022), while MenSC or menstrual blood serum EVs could be used for the analysis of uterine lesions and abnormalities.

Beyond the regenerative capabilities of MenSC-EVs, these vesicles also hold promise in disease diagnostics and biomarker discovery. Their cargo can provide valuable insights into the molecular changes associated with aging and disease progression. Also, the use of MenSCs-EVs for diagnostic purposes could enable earlier detection and more precise targeting of therapies, leading to more personalized and effective treatment strategies. MenSC-EVs represent a promising source of biomarkers for female reproductive disorders. For instance, we demonstrated that MenSC-EVs can be used as a source of biomarkers of unexplained infertility (uIF) (Vaiciuleviciute et al., 2025). These EVs were compared between healthy and uIF female groups and detected differences included alterations in cell adherence, inflammatory processes, protein metabolism of uIF patients, as compared to healthy controls, which are promising for further uIF validation in women who are not able to conceive for at least a year. Also, menstrual blood serum was characterized as a less invasive source of infertility biomarkers, where EMILIN1, TRIP6, LAMB1, LAMC1, NID1, APOB, APOA4 were detected as the main differences in uIF patients as compared to healthy controls (Brennan et al., 2025). Both MenSCs and MenSC-EVs already showed alterations in endometriosis and endometriosis-related infertility compared to healthy donors (Cordeiro et al., 2023; Zhou et al., 2020). MenSC-EVs even indicated decidual response that is critical for embryo implantation. Additionally, EVs derived from uterine fluid may serve as biomarkers for endometrial receptivity assessment in assisted reproductive technologies (Giacomini et al., 2021).

MenSC-EV-based diagnostics could offer a non-invasive alternative with significant potential for the monitoring of endometrial receptivity and pathology diagnostics of female reproductive diseases. MenSC-EVs not only share the inherent advantages of EV-based diagnostics but also offer additional benefits derived from their cellular origin. Menstrual blood collection is a non-invasive, easily accessible, and repeatable process, eliminating ethical concerns associated with other sources of reproductive tract-derived EVs. Importantly, because menstrual blood is collected during the same phase of the menstrual cycle, it minimizes variability related to hormonal fluctuations and serves as a highly localized source of biomarkers, providing a direct reflection of endometrial status (Zaheer et al., 2024).

The therapeutic and diagnostic potential of MenSC- EVs is schematically visualized in Figure 3, presenting current in vitro and in vivo study discoveries.

FIGURE 3

6 Discussion and future directions

The uterine endometrium is a unique, fast-regenerating tissue, which plays an essential role in the female reproductive system. It has been considered as an easy-accessible source for stem cells decades ago (Borlongan et al., 2010). The endometrium undergoes over 400 cycles of regeneration during a woman’s reproductive life cycle, allowing for pregnancy, and can be continued to regenerate after menopause using hormone therapy (Tabatabaei and Ai, 2017). Endometrial stromal cells–MenSCs, have drawn attention in modern research, relating to evidence of their pluripotent-like and therapeutic properties. They offer a non-invasive alternative to traditional MSC sources and hold promise for regenerative applications, particularly through EVs, which enhance tissue repair (Chen et al., 2017; Asl et al., 2023). Even though EVs from all types of MSCs have positive effects on tissue regeneration–for instance, BMMSC-EVs showed increased muscle regeneration in a rat sarcopenia model, restored bone mass and strength in a mice osteoporosis model, regenerated cartilage, restored heart function in myocardial infarction in rat models and others (Guo et al., 2024; Wang et al., 2023; Bian et al., 2013) – MenSC-EVs show exceptional therapeutic potential in the female reproductive system, wound healing, neural, liver regeneration, and more, as discussed previously.

The potential of MenSC-EVs as a therapeutic tool for postmenopausal women is a promising field in regenerative medicine. As women age, particularly after menopause, they face a range of health challenges such as osteoporosis, muscle degeneration, skin aging, and decreased regenerative capacity across various tissues. The application of MenSCs and their EVs presents a novel approach to mitigate these age-related conditions by enhancing tissue regeneration and reducing the effects of chronic inflammation and immunosenescence, which are often observed in postmenopausal women. MenSC-EVs have shown potential in promoting tissue repair and regeneration through their cargo, which includes growth factors, cytokines, lipids, and RNAs that regulate cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation, as described above. These bioactive molecules help to modulate immune responses, stimulate tissue repair and enhance the functionality of damaged cells. Noteworthy, the ability to collect menstrual blood for autologous treatment with MenSCs is progressively reduced in elderly women, representing a limitation for their therapeutic applications. On the other hand, if these cells could be collected and cryopreserved in advance, there will always be an opportunity to use them later in the donor’s lifetime. Additionally, the concept of biobanking MenSCs, particularly from younger women, holds significant potential for future therapeutic applications. Cryopreserving MenSCs could provide a ready and accessible resource for regenerative therapies in elderly populations. Such biobanks would enable the use of autologous MenSCs and their EVs for personalized medicine in later years, overcoming the limitations associated with age-related declines in stem cell function and regenerative capacity. This approach could be particularly advantageous for postmenopausal women, as it offers the possibility of utilizing young, high-quality MenSCs for future therapies targeting conditions such as age-related diseases.

6.1 Limitations

Despite the promising potential of MenSC-EVs in regenerative medicine and disease diagnostics, several limitations of the current source and EVs should be acknowledged. First of all, there is a lack of long-term safety and efficacy data in all of the published studies, as most of them focus on short-term outcomes. Long-term effect of MenSC-EVs on tissue homeostasis or potential off-target response remain largely unexplored, where rigous in vivo studies are essential to ensure translational relevance and clinical safety. Moreover, there is a significant variability in EV isolation and characterization protocols across studies, which is an important aspect to bear in mind working with various EV sources, not only MenSC. Differences in EV isolation, filtration methods, their parameters, quantification techniques, instruments used contribute to inconsistencies in EV purity, yield and functional content. Even if the protocols are normalized, refined according to the consensus guidelines as minimal information for studies of EVs (MISEV) (Welsh et al., 2024), the variability between batch-to-batch samples is also a significant issue adapting EVs for therapeutic purposes.

Also, the use of MenSC-EVs faces regulatory, manufacturing, and bioethical challenges that need to be addressed to ensure their safe and effective use in clinical applications. On the regulatory side, the absence of specific guidelines and the complexity of proving safety, efficacy, and pharmacokinetics make clinical approvals difficult (Stawarska et al., 2024; Wang et al., 2024). Manufacturing these EVs at scale while maintaining consistency, stability, and quality remains a major obstacle (Claridge et al., 2021; Wang et al., 2024). Ethically, while menstrual blood is a non-invasive source, it has a significant ethical advantage over other stem cell sources. Issues such as informed consent and donor privacy must be carefully managed (Achmad and Götte, 2014; Savary et al., 2023). Therefore, in order to ensure reproducibility and clinical applicability, future research should prioritize standardized methodologies, explore the mechanisms underlying MenSC-EV therapeuitc actions and conduct controlled in vivo studies with long-term follow ups to support their safety and integration into clinical therapies.

6.2 Conclusion

In conclusion, MenSCs and their EVs represent a potential tool for advancing diagnostics and therapies. Their ability to promote tissue regeneration, provide diagnostic insights, and enable personalized treatments holds immense potential for improving the quality of life for women of all ages. The development of biobanks for MenSCs could further enhance the accessibility and applicability of these cells and their EVs, offering a new hope for the development of innovative treatment strategies for different conditions.

Statements

Author contributions

RV: Writing – original draft, Visualization, Writing – review and editing. JP: Writing – review and editing, Investigation, Writing – original draft, Validation. EB: Writing – original draft, Supervision, Writing – review and editing, Investigation. GK: Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft, Investigation. IL: Validation, Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft, Investigation. EK: Writing – review and editing, Investigation, Formal Analysis, Writing – original draft. IU: Supervision, Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft, Conceptualization.

Funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. The study is funded by the Lithuanian Research Councils project, according to the postdoctoral fellowship program No. P-PD-24-167, agreement No. S-PD-24-114 (No. 33154).

Acknowledgments

The authors want to acknowledge Lithuanian Research Council for providing opportunities to conduct this review article. Also, the corresponding author wants to acknowledge Lithuanian Academy of Science for providing the award for young investigators on June 20, 2024.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Generative AI statement

The author(s) declare that no Generative AI was used in the creation of this manuscript.

Publisher’s note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

References

  • 1

    AbouelnagaH.El-KhateebD.MoemenY.El-FertA.MohamedE.KhalilA. (2022). Characterization of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from wharton’s jelly of the human umbilical cord. Egypt. Liver J.12 (1), 2. 10.1186/s43066-021-00165-w

  • 2

    AbumareeM. H.Al JumahM. A.KalionisB.JawdatD.Al KhaldiA.AbomarayF. M.et al (2013). Human placental mesenchymal stem cells (PMSCs) play a role as immune suppressive cells by shifting macrophage differentiation from inflammatory M1 to anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. Stem Cell Rev. Rep.9 (5), 620641. 10.1007/s12015-013-9455-2

  • 3

    AchmadN.GötteM. (2014). Characteristics and therapeutic potential of menstrual blood-derived stem cells. Regen. Med. Using Non-Fetal Sources Stem Cells, 1285. 10.1007/978-1-4471-6542-2

  • 4

    Akhavan-TavakoliM.FardM.KhanjaniS.ZareS.EdalatkhahH.MehrabaniD.et al (2017). In vitro differentiation of menstrual blood stem cells into keratinocytes: a potential approach for management of wound healing. Biologicals48, 6673. 10.1016/j.biologicals.2017.05.005

  • 5

    Alcayaga-MirandaF.CuencaJ.Luz-CrawfordP.Aguila-DíazC.FernandezA.FigueroaF. E.et al (2015). Characterization of menstrual stem cells: angiogenic effect, migration and hematopoietic stem cell support in comparison with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells. Stem Cell Res. and Ther.6, 32. 10.1186/s13287-015-0013-5

  • 6

    AleahmadM.GhanavatinejadA.BozorgmehrM.ShokriM. R.NikooS.TavakoliM.et al (2018). Menstrual blood-derived stromal stem cells augment CD4+ T cells proliferation. Avicenna J. Med. Biotechnol.10 (3), 183191.

  • 7

    Alonso-AlonsoM. L.García-PosadasL.DieboldY. (2022). Extracellular vesicles from human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a review of common cargos. Stem Cell Rev. Rep.18 (3), 854901. 10.1007/s12015-021-10155-5

  • 8

    AsadianN.JadidiM.SafariM.JadidiT.GholamiM. (2021). EMF frequency dependent differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to astrocyte cells. Neurosci. Lett.744, 135587. 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135587

  • 9

    AsgariH. R.AkbariM.YazdekhastiH.RajabiZ.NavidS.AliakbariF.et al (2017). Comparison of human amniotic, chorionic, and umbilical cord multipotent mesenchymal stem cells regarding their capacity for differentiation toward female germ cells. Cell. Reprogr.19 (1), 4453. 10.1089/cell.2016.0035

  • 10

    AslD.Saeideh SahraeiS.KalhorN.FazaeliH.SheykhhasanM.MoudS. S.et al (2023). Promising effects of exosomes from menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells on endometriosis. Reprod. Biol.23 (3), 100788. 10.1016/j.repbio.2023.100788

  • 11

    AsprerJ. S. T.LakshmipathyU. (2015). Current methods and challenges in the comprehensive characterization of human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Rev. Rep.11 (2), 357372. 10.1007/s12015-014-9580-6

  • 12

    AzediF.KazemnejadS.Hassan ZarnaniA.SoleimaniM.ShojaeiA.ArastehS. (2017). Comparative capability of menstrual blood versus bone marrow derived stem cells in neural differentiation. Mol. Biol. Rep.44 (1), 169182. 10.1007/s11033-016-4095-7

  • 13

    BaghaeiK.HashemiS. M.TokhanbigliS.AliA. R.Assadzadeh-AghdaeiH.SharifianA.et al (2017). Isolation, differentiation, and characterization of mesenchymal stem cells from human bone marrow. Gastroenterology Hepatology Bed Bench10 (3), 208213. 10.22037/ghfbb.v0i0.1089

  • 14

    BaglioS. R.RooijersK.Koppers-LalicD.VerweijF. J.Pérez LanzónM.ZiniN.et al (2015). Human bone marrow- and adipose-mesenchymal stem cells secrete exosomes enriched in distinctive MiRNA and TRNA species. Stem Cell Res. Ther.6 (1), 12720. 10.1186/s13287-015-0116-z

  • 15

    BausyteR.Vaigauskaite - MazeikieneB.BorutinskaiteV.ValatkaiteE.BesusparisJ.Barbora ValkiunieneR.et al (2023). Human endometrium-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells application in endometrial-factor induced infertility. Front. Cell Dev. Biol.11, 117. 10.3389/fcell.2023.1227487

  • 16

    BiY.QiaoX.LiuQ.SongS.ZhuK.QiuX.et al (2022). Systemic proteomics and MiRNA profile analysis of exosomes derived from human pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Res. Ther.13 (1), 44919. 10.1186/s13287-022-03142-1

  • 17

    BianL.HouC.TousE.RaiR.MauckR. L.BurdickJ. A. (2013). The influence of hyaluronic acid hydrogel crosslinking density and macromolecular diffusivity on human MSC chondrogenesis and hypertrophy. Biomaterials34 (2), 413421. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.09.052

  • 18

    BorlonganC. V.KanekoY.MakiM.YuS. J.AliM.AllicksonJ. G.et al (2010). Menstrual blood cells display stem cell–like phenotypic markers and exert neuroprotection following transplantation in experimental stroke. Stem Cells Dev.19 (4), 439452. 10.1089/scd.2009.0340

  • 19

    BrennanK.VaiciuleviciuteR.UzielieneI.PachalevaJ.KasilovskieneZ.PiesinieneL.et al (2025). Menstrual blood serum extracellular vesicles reveal novel molecular biomarkers and potential endotypes of unexplained infertility. Sci. Rep.15 (1), 1197415. 10.1038/s41598-025-95818-w

  • 20

    CastrechiniN. M.MurthiP.GudeN. M.ErwichJ. J. H. M.GronthosS.ZannettinoA.et al (2010). Mesenchymal stem cells in human placental chorionic villi reside in a vascular niche. Placenta31 (3), 203212. 10.1016/j.placenta.2009.12.006

  • 21

    ChenJ.DuX.ChenQ.XiangC. (2015). Effects of donors' age and passage number on the biological characteristics of menstrual blood-derived stem cells. Stem Cells8 (11), 1458414595.

  • 22

    ChenS.ZhangW.WangJi M.DuanH. T.KongJ. H.WangY. X.et al (2016). Differentiation of isolated human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells into neural stem cells. Int. J. Ophthalmol.9 (1), 4147. 10.18240/ijo.2016.01.07

  • 23

    ChenL.XiangB.WangX.XiangC. (2017). Exosomes derived from human menstrual blood-derived stem cells alleviate fulminant hepatic failure. Stem Cell Res. Ther.8 (1), 915. 10.1186/s13287-016-0453-6

  • 24

    ChenL.QuJ.ChengT.ChenX.XiangC. (2019). Menstrual blood-derived stem cells: toward therapeutic mechanisms, novel strategies, and future perspectives in the treatment of diseases. Stem Cell Res. Ther.10 (1), 406412. 10.1186/s13287-019-1503-7

  • 25

    ChenL.QuJ.MeiQ.ChenX.FangY.ChenL.et al (2021). Small extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) as a novel therapeutic impetus in regenerative medicine. Stem Cell Res. Ther.12 (1), 43315. 10.1186/s13287-021-02511-6

  • 26

    ChienC.-C.YenB. L.LeeF.-K.LaiT.-H.ChenY.-C.ChanS.-H.et al (2006). In vitro differentiation of human placenta‐derived multipotent cells into hepatocyte‐like cells. Stem Cells24 (7), 17591768. 10.1634/stemcells.2005-0521

  • 27

    CiferriM. C.QuartoR.TassoR. (2021). Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers and therapeutic tools: from pre-clinical to clinical applications. Biology10 (5), 35914. 10.3390/biology10050359

  • 28

    ClaridgeB.LozanoJ.QiH. P.GreeningD. W. (2021). Development of extracellular vesicle therapeutics: challenges, considerations, and opportunities. Front. Cell Dev. Biol.9, 734720. 10.3389/fcell.2021.734720

  • 29

    CordeiroM. R.CarvalhosC. A.Figueiredo-DiasM. (2023). The emerging role of menstrual-blood-derived stem cells in endometriosis. Biomedicines11 (1), 3910. 10.3390/biomedicines11010039

  • 30

    DalirfardoueiR.JamialahmadiK.JafarianA. H.MahdipourE. (2019). Promising effects of exosomes isolated from menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell on wound-healing process in diabetic mouse model. J. Tissue Eng. Regen. Med.13 (4), 555568. 10.1002/term.2799

  • 31

    de PedroM. Á.Gómez-SerranoM.MarinaroF.LópezE.PulidoM.PreußerC.et al (2021). Ifn-gamma and tnf-alpha as a priming strategy to enhance the immunomodulatory capacity of secretomes from menstrual blood-derived stromal cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci.22 (22), 12177. 10.3390/ijms222212177

  • 32

    de PedroM. Á.LópezE.Manuel González-NuñoF.PulidoM.ÁlvarezV.MarchenaA. M.et al (2023). Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: impact of preconditioning on the cargo of extracellular vesicles as potential therapeutics. Stem Cell Res. Ther.14 (1), 120. 10.1186/s13287-023-03413-5

  • 33

    DuvalC.WyseB. A.TsangB. K.LibrachC. L. (2024). Extracellular vesicles and their content in the context of polycystic ovarian syndrome and endometriosis: a review. J. Ovarian Res.17 (1), 160. 10.1186/s13048-024-01480-7

  • 34

    EsfandyariS.ElkafasH.ChughR. M.ParkH. S.NavarroA.Al-HendyA. (2021). Exosomes as biomarkers for female reproductive diseases diagnosis and therapy. Int. J. Mol. Sci.22 (4), 216526. 10.3390/ijms22042165

  • 35

    FaramarziH.MehrabaniD.FardM.AkhavanM.ZareS.BakhshalizadehS.et al (2016). The potential of menstrual blood-derived stem cells in differentiation to epidermal lineage: a preliminary report. World J. Plastic Surg.5 (1), 2631. Available online at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4904135/.

  • 36

    Figueroa-ValdésA. I.Catalina de laF.HidalgoY.Vega-LetterA. M.Tapia-LimonchiR.KhouryM.et al (2021). A chemically defined, xeno- and blood-free culture medium sustains increased production of small extracellular vesicles from mesenchymal stem cells. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.9, 114. 10.3389/fbioe.2021.619930

  • 37

    GargettC. E. (2004). Stem cells in gynaecology. Aust. N. Z. J. Obstetrics Gynaecol.44 (5), 380386. 10.1111/j.1479-828X.2004.00290.x

  • 38

    GargettC. E.SchwabK. E.DeaneJ. A. (2016). Endometrial stem/progenitor cells: the first 10 years. Hum. Reprod. Update22, 137163. 10.1093/humupd/dmv051

  • 39

    GiacominiE.ScottiG. M.VanniV. S.LazarevicD.MakievaS.PriviteraL.et al (2021). Global transcriptomic changes occur in uterine fluid-derived extracellular vesicles during the endometrial window for embryo implantation. Hum. Reprod.36 (8), 22492274. 10.1093/humrep/deab123

  • 40

    GuoR.WuZ.LiuAoLiQ.HanT.ShenC. (2024). Hypoxic preconditioning-engineered bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes promote muscle satellite cell activation and skeletal muscle regeneration via the MiR-210-3p/KLF7 mechanism. Int. Immunopharmacol.142, 113143. 10.1016/j.intimp.2024.113143

  • 41

    HidaN.NishiyamaN.MiyoshiS.KiraS.SegawaK.UyamaT.et al (2008). Novel cardiac precursor-like cells from human menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal cells. Stem Cells26 (7), 16951704. 10.1634/stemcells.2007-0826

  • 42

    HojjatA.MansourR. N.EnderamiS. E.HassanniaH.MahdaviM.MellatiA.et al (2023). The differentiation and generation of glucose-sensitive beta like-cells from menstrual blood-derived stem cells using an optimized differentiation medium with platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Acta Histochem.125 (3), 152025. 10.1016/j.acthis.2023.152025

  • 43

    HuX.ZhouY.ZhengX.TianN.XuC.WuW.et al (2014). Differentiation of menstrual blood-derived stem cells toward nucleus pulposus-like cells in a coculture system with nucleus pulposus cells. Spine39 (9), 754760. 10.1097/BRS.0000000000000261

  • 44

    IkegamiY.MiyoshiS.NishiyamaN.HidaN.OkamotoK.MiyadoK.et al (2010). Serum-independent cardiomyogenic transdifferentiation in human endometrium-derived mesenchymal cells. Artif. Organs34 (4), 280288. 10.1111/j.1525-1594.2009.00859.x

  • 45

    IzanlouS.AfsharA.ZareA.ZhilisbayevaK. R.BakhshalizadehS.SafaeiZ.et al (2023). Enhancing differentiation of menstrual blood-derived stem cells into female germ cells using a bilayer amniotic membrane and nano-fibrous fibroin scaffold. Tissue Cell85, 102215. 10.1016/j.tice.2023.102215

  • 46

    JiS.QiH.YanL.ZhangD.WangY.MudanlifuH.et al (2024). MiR-4443 contained extracellular vesicles: a factor for endometriosis progression by PI3K/AKT/ACSS2 cascade in-Vitro. Int. J. Nanomedicine19, 60856098. 10.2147/IJN.S456594

  • 47

    JiaS.ZoccoD.SamuelsM. L.ChouM. F.ChammasR.SkogJ.et al (2014). Emerging technologies in extracellular vesicle-based molecular diagnostics. Expert Rev. Mol. Diagnostics14 (3), 307321. 10.1586/14737159.2014.893828

  • 48

    JiangZ.WangJ. (2012). Menstrual blood stem cells improved myocardial survival after rat myocardial infarction by paracrine. Heart98 (Suppl. 2), E170E172. 10.1136/heartjnl-2012-302920j.31

  • 49

    JiangZ.HuX.YuH.XuY.WangL.ChenH.et al (2013). Human endometrial stem cells confer enhanced myocardial salvage and regeneration by paracrine mechanisms. J. Cell. Mol. Med.17 (10), 12471260. 10.1111/jcmm.12100

  • 50

    JothimaniG.PathakS.DuttaS.DuttaroyA. K.BanerjeeA. (2022). A comprehensive cancer-associated MicroRNA expression profiling and proteomic analysis of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes. Tissue Eng. Regen. Med.19 (5), 10131031. 10.1007/s13770-022-00450-8

  • 51

    KimJ.KimNa K.ParkSo RaChoiB. H. (2019). GM-CSF enhances mobilization of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells via a CXCR4-medicated mechanism. Tissue Eng. Regen. Med.16 (1), 5968. 10.1007/s13770-018-0163-5

  • 52

    KodamS. P.UllahM. (2021). Diagnostic and therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles. Technol. Cancer Res. Treat.20, 1533033821104120315330338211041210. 10.1177/15330338211041203

  • 53

    KumarM. A.BabaS. K.SadidaH. Q.MarzooqiS. A.JerobinJ.AltemaniF. H.et al (2024). Extracellular vesicles as tools and targets in therapy for diseases. Signal Transduct. Target. Ther.9 (1), 27. 10.1038/s41392-024-01735-1

  • 54

    LaiD.WangF.YaoX.ZhangQ.WuX.XiangC. (2015). Human endometrial mesenchymal stem cells restore ovarian function through improving the renewal of germline stem cells in a mouse model of premature ovarian failure. J. Transl. Med.13 (1), 15513. 10.1186/s12967-015-0516-y

  • 55

    LanD. T. P.BinhP. T.GiangN. T. Q.Van MaoC.ChungD. T.Van DiepN.et al (2020). Isolation and differentiation of amniotic membrane stem cells into keratinocytes. Cell Transplant.29, 0963689720964387. 10.1177/0963689720964381

  • 56

    LeeSe Y.HamO.Ji ChaM.SongB. W.ChoiE.KimIl K.et al (2013). The promotion of cardiogenic differentiation of HMSCs by targeting epidermal growth factor receptor using MicroRNA-133a. Biomaterials34 (1), 9299. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.09.069

  • 57

    LeiG.YuY.JiangY.WangS.YanM.SmithA. J.et al (2013). Differentiation of BMMSCs into odontoblast-like cells induced by natural dentine matrix. Archives Oral Biol.58 (7), 862870. 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2013.01.002

  • 58

    LiH.YahayaB. H.NgW. H.YusoffN. M.LinJ. (2019). Conditioned medium of human menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells protects against MPP+-Induced cytotoxicity in vitro. Front. Mol. Neurosci.12, 8015. 10.3389/fnmol.2019.00080

  • 59

    LiH.WeiJ.ZhangZ.LiJ.MaY.ZhangP.et al (2023). Menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells alleviate neuroinflammation by modulating M1/M2 polarization in cell and rat Parkinson’s disease models. Stem Cell Res. Ther.14 (1), 8518. 10.1186/s13287-023-03330-7

  • 60

    LianJ.ZhuX.DuJ.HuangB.ZhaoF.MaC.et al (2023). Extracellular vesicle-transmitted MiR-671-5p alleviates lung inflammation and injury by regulating the AAK1/NF-κb Axis. Mol. Ther.31 (5), 13651382. 10.1016/j.ymthe.2023.01.025

  • 61

    LiuY.NiuR.YangF.YanY.LiangS.SunY.et al (2018). Biological characteristics of human menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells. J. Cell. Mol. Med.22 (3), 16271639. 10.1111/jcmm.13437

  • 62

    LiuQ.PiaoH.WangY.ZhengD.WangW. (2021). Circulating exosomes in ophthalmic disease: novel carriers of biological information circulating exosomes in ophthalmic disease. Eur. Rev. Med. Pharmacol. Sci.25 (5), 21722181. 10.26355/eurrev_202103_25208

  • 63

    Lopez-VerrilliM. A.CaviedesA.CabreraA.SandovalS.WynekenU.KhouryM. (2016). Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes from different sources selectively promote neuritic outgrowth. Neuroscience320, 129139. 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.01.061

  • 64

    LuY.XuX.LiuS.WangZ.JiangK.GuJ.et al (2023). Icariin has the potential to induce the differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into Brown fat cells via PDE5A inhibition. Heliyon9 (12), e22487. 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e22487

  • 65

    MajoreI.MorettiP.StahlF.HassR.KasperC. (2011). Growth and differentiation properties of mesenchymal stromal cell populations derived from whole human umbilical cord. Stem Cell Rev. Rep.7 (1), 1731. 10.1007/s12015-010-9165-y

  • 66

    ManshoriM.KazemnejadS.NaderiN.DarziM.AboutalebN.GolshahiH. (2022). Greater angiogenic and immunoregulatory potency of BFGF and 5-aza-2ʹ-deoxycytidine pre-treated menstrual blood stem cells in compare to bone marrow stem cells in rat model of myocardial infarction. BMC Cardiovasc. Disord.22 (1), 57812. 10.1186/s12872-022-03032-7

  • 67

    MargossianT.ReppelL.MakdissyN.StoltzJ. F.BensoussanD.HuselsteinC. (2012). Mesenchymal stem cells derived from wharton’s jelly: comparative phenotype analysis between tissue and in vitro expansion. Bio-Medical Mater. Eng.22 (4), 243254. 10.3233/BME-2012-0714

  • 68

    MarinaroF.PericuestaE.Sánchez-MargalloF. M.CasadoJ. G.ÁlvarezV.MatillaE.et al (2018). Extracellular vesicles derived from endometrial human mesenchymal stem cells improve IVF outcome in an aged murine model. Reproduction Domest. Animals53, 4649. 10.1111/rda.13314

  • 69

    MarinaroF.Gómez-SerranoM.JorgeI.Silla-CastroJ. C.VázquezJ.Sánchez-MargalloF. M.et al (2019). Unraveling the molecular signature of extracellular vesicles from endometrial-derived mesenchymal stem cells: potential modulatory effects and therapeutic applications. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.7, 119. 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00431

  • 70

    MarkmeeR.AungsuchawanS.NarakornsakS.TancharoenW.BumrungkitK.PangchaideeN.et al (2017). Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human amniotic fluid to cardiomyocyte-like cells. Mol. Med. Rep.16 (5), 60686076. 10.3892/mmr.2017.7333

  • 71

    MaslennikovS.MaksymG. (2023). The most commonly used cell surface markers for determining mesenchymal stromal cells in stromal vascular fraction and bone marrow autologous concentrate: a systematic review. J. Biotech Res.14, 8594.

  • 72

    MatsuzakaY.YashiroR. (2022). Therapeutic strategy of mesenchymal‐stem‐cell‐derived extracellular vesicles as regenerative medicine. Int. J. Mol. Sci.23 (12), 6480. 10.3390/ijms23126480

  • 73

    McBrideJ. D.Rodriguez-MenocalL.WellingtonG.KhanA.CiaraM.LiuX.et al (2021). Proteomic analysis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles from healthy donors: implications for proliferation, angiogenesis, wnt signaling, and the basement membrane. Stem Cell Res. Ther.12 (1), 111. 10.1186/s13287-021-02405-7

  • 74

    MengX.IchimT. E.ZhongJ.RogersA.YinZ.JacksonJ.et al (2007). Endometrial regenerative cells: a novel stem cell population. J. Transl. Med.5, 57. 10.1186/1479-5876-5-57

  • 75

    MirB.GoettschC. (2020). Extracellular vesicles as delivery vehicles of specific cellular cargo. Cells9 (7), 16011619. 10.3390/cells9071601

  • 76

    MouX. Z.LinJ.ChenJ. Y.LiY. F.WuX.XiangB. Y.et al (2013). Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into functional hepatocyte-like cells. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B14 (11), 961972. 10.1631/jzus.B1300081

  • 77

    MuXu P.RenLi Q.YanH. W.ZhangX. M.XuT. M.WeiAn H.et al (2017). Enhanced differentiation of human amniotic fluid-derived stem cells into insulin-producing cells in vitro. J. Diabetes Investigation8 (1), 3443. 10.1111/jdi.12544

  • 78

    NaeemA.GuptaN.NaeemU.KhanM. J.ElrayessM. A.CuiW.et al (2022). A comparison of isolation and culture protocols for human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Cycle21 (15), 15431556. 10.1080/15384101.2022.2060641

  • 79

    NaganoK.YoshidaY.IsobeT. (2008). Cell surface biomarkers of embryonic stem cells. Proteomics8 (19), 40254035. 10.1002/pmic.200800073

  • 80

    PomattoM.GaiC.NegroF.CedrinoM.GrangeC.CeccottiE.et al (2021). Differential therapeutic effect of extracellular vesicles derived by bone marrow and adipose mesenchymal stem cells on wound healing of diabetic ulcers and correlation to their cargoes. Int. J. Mol. Sci.22 (8), 385126. 10.3390/ijms22083851

  • 81

    Portmann-LanzC. B.SchoeberleinA.HuberA.SagerR.MalekA.HolzgreveW.et al (2006). Placental mesenchymal stem cells as potential autologous graft for pre- and perinatal neuroregeneration. Am. J. Obstetrics Gynecol.194 (3), 664673. 10.1016/j.ajog.2006.01.101

  • 82

    QiJ.ZhangX.ZhangS.WuS.LuY.LiS.et al (2023). P65 mediated UBR4 in exosomes derived from menstrual blood stromal cells to reduce endometrial fibrosis by regulating YAP ubiquitination. J. Nanobiotechnology21 (1), 305316. 10.1186/s12951-023-02070-3

  • 83

    QuintanillaR. H.AsprerJ. S. T.VazC.TanavdeV.LakshmipathyU. (2014). CD44 is a negative cell surface marker for pluripotent stem cell identification during human fibroblast reprogramming. PLoS ONE9 (1), e85419. 10.1371/journal.pone.0085419

  • 84

    RahimiM.Hassan ZarnaniA.MobiniS.KhorasaniS.DarziM.KazemnejadS. (2018). Comparative effectiveness of three-dimensional scaffold, differentiation media and Co-culture with native cardiomyocytes to trigger in vitro cardiogenic differentiation of menstrual blood and bone marrow stem cells. Biologicals54, 1321. 10.1016/j.biologicals.2018.05.003

  • 85

    RahmanMd S.Sebastian SpitzhornL.WruckW.HagenbeckC.BalanP.GraffmannN.et al (2018). The presence of human mesenchymal stem cells of renal origin in amniotic fluid increases with gestational time. Stem Cell Res. and Ther.9 (1), 113. 10.1186/s13287-018-0864-7

  • 86

    ReF.SartoreL.BorsaniE.FerroniM.PasiniC.PandiniS.et al (2023). Potentiality of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) to differentiate into the osteogenic lineage in in vitro model of tissue regeneration. Blood142 (Suppl. 1), 5626. 10.1182/blood-2023-177940

  • 87

    RebelattoC. K.AguiarA. M.MoretãoM. P.SenegagliaA. C.HansenP.BarchikiF.et al (2008). Dissimilar differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and adipose tissue. Exp. Biol. Med.233 (7), 901913. 10.3181/0712-RM-356

  • 88

    RenH.SangY.ZhangF.LiuZ.QiN.ChenY. (2016). Comparative analysis of human mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord, dental pulp, and menstrual blood as sources for cell therapy. Stem Cells Int., 3516574. 10.1155/2016/3516574

  • 89

    ReubinoffB. E.PeraM. F.FongC. Y.TrounsonA.BongsoA. (2000). Embryonic stem cell lines from human blastocysts: somatic differentiation in vitro. Nat. Biotechnol.18 (4), 399404. 10.1038/74447

  • 90

    Robalo CordeiroM.RoqueR.LaranjeiroB.CarvalhosC.Figueiredo-DiasM. (2024). Menstrual blood stem cells-derived exosomes as promising therapeutic tools in premature ovarian insufficiency induced by gonadotoxic systemic anticancer treatment. Int. J. Mol. Sci.25 (15), 8468. 10.3390/ijms25158468

  • 91

    RobertsE. G.PiekarskiB. L.HuangK.EmaniS.WongJ. Y.EmaniS. M. (2019). Evaluation of placental mesenchymal stem cell sheets for myocardial repair and regeneration. Tissue Eng. - Part A25 (11–12), 867877. 10.1089/ten.tea.2018.0035

  • 92

    SavaryR.NegarM. K.MahdiA.SeyedM. R. S.SeyyedehE. M. (2023). Extracellular Vesicles Isolated From Menstrual Blood-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Regenerative Medicine. Jentashapir Journal of Cellular and Molecular Biology14 (2). 10.5812/jjcmb-136652

  • 93

    ShamsnajafabadiH.SoheiliZ. S. (2022). Amniotic fluid characteristics and its application in stem cell therapy: a review. Int. J. Reproductive Biomed.20 (8), 627643. 10.18502/ijrm.v20i8.11752

  • 94

    SheikholeslamiA.KalhorN.SheykhhasanM.JannatifarR.SahraeiS. S. (2021). Evaluating differentiation potential of the human menstrual blood-derived stem cells from infertile women into oocyte-like cells. Reprod. Biol.21 (1), 100477. 10.1016/j.repbio.2020.100477

  • 95

    ShiL.RenJ.LiJ.WangD.WangY.QinT.et al (2021). Extracellular vesicles derived from umbilical cord mesenchymal stromal cells alleviate pulmonary fibrosis by means of transforming growth factor-β signaling inhibition. Stem Cell Res. Ther.12 (1), 23013. 10.1186/s13287-021-02296-8

  • 96

    SkliutėG.BaušytėR.BorutinskaitėV.ValiulienėG.KaupinisA.ValiusM.et al (2021). Menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells’ impact for the treatment perspective of female infertility. Int. J. Mol. Sci.22 (13), 6774. 10.3390/ijms22136774

  • 97

    SmithT. I.RussellA. E. (2022). Extracellular vesicles in reproduction and pregnancy. Extracell. Vesicles Circulating Nucleic Acids3 (3), 275300. 10.20517/evcna.2022.27

  • 98

    SoberS. A.DarmaniH.AlhattabD.AwidiA. (2023). Flow cytometric characterization of cell surface markers to differentiate between fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells of different origin. Archives Med. Sci.19 (5), 14871496. 10.5114/aoms/131088

  • 99

    SongA.ZhangS.ZhaoX.WuS.QiX.GaoS.et al (2023). Exosomes derived from menstrual blood stromal cells ameliorated premature ovarian insufficiency and granulosa cell apoptosis by regulating SMAD3/AKT/MDM2/P53 pathway via delivery of thrombospondin-1. Biomed. Pharmacother.166, 115319. 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115319

  • 100

    StawarskaA.Bamburowicz-KlimkowskaM.Runden-PranE.DusinskaM.CimpanM. R.Rios-MondragonI.et al (2024). Extracellular vesicles as next-generation diagnostics and advanced therapy medicinal products. Int. J. Mol. Sci.25 (12), 6533. 10.3390/ijms25126533

  • 101

    SunN. Z.JiH. S. (2009). In vitro differentiation of human placenta-derived adherent cells into insulin-producing cells. J. Int. Med. Res.37 (2), 400406. 10.1177/147323000903700215

  • 102

    SunL.ZhuM.FengW.LinY.YinJ.JinJ.et al (2019). Exosomal MiRNA let-7 from menstrual blood-derived endometrial stem cells alleviates pulmonary fibrosis through regulating mitochondrial DNA damage. Oxidative Med. Cell. Longev., 117. 10.1155/2019/4506303

  • 103

    TabatabaeiF. S.AiJ. (2017). Mesenchymal endometrial stem/stromal cells for hard tissue engineering: a review of in vitro and in vivo evidence. Regen. Med.12, 983995. 10.2217/rme-2017-0029

  • 104

    TerzicM.AimagambetovaG.UkybassovaT.BapayevaG.KaiyrlykyzyA.FosterF.et al (2022). Factors influencing on pain in patients undergoing pipelle endometrial biopsy for abnormal uterine bleeding: why a personalized approach should Be applied?J. Personalized Med.12 (3), 431439. 10.3390/jpm12030431

  • 105

    ToyodaM.CuiC.UmezawaA. (2007). Myogenic transdifferentiation of menstrual blood-derived cells. Acta Myol.26, 176178.

  • 106

    ToyotaA.ShinagawaR.ManoM.TokiokaK.SudaN. (2021). Regeneration in experimental alveolar bone defect using human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Transplant.30, 96368972097539115. 10.1177/0963689720975391

  • 107

    TranTu C.KimuraK.NaganoM.YamashitaT.OhnedaK.SugimoriH.et al (2011). Identification of human placenta-derived mesenchymal stem cells involved in Re-endothelialization. J. Cell. Physiology226 (1), 224235. 10.1002/jcp.22329

  • 108

    UzielieneI.UrbonaiteG.TachtamisevaiteZ.MobasheriA.BernotieneE. (2018). The potential of menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells for cartilage repair and regeneration: novel aspects. Stem Cells Int., 110. 10.1155/2018/5748126

  • 109

    UzielieneI.BialaglovyteP.MiksiunasR.LebedisI.PachalevaJ.VaiciuleviciuteR.et al (2023). Menstrual blood-derived stem cell paracrine factors possess stimulatory effects on chondrogenesis in vitro and diminish the degradation of articular cartilage during osteoarthritis. Bioengineering10 (9), 1001. 10.3390/bioengineering10091001

  • 110

    VaiciuleviciuteR.BrennanK.UzielieneI.PachalevaJ.KasilovskieneZ.PiesinieneL.et al (2025). Proteomic signature of menstrual blood mesenchymal stromal cells and their extracellular vesicles in women with unexplained infertility. Reprod. Biomed. Online, 104980. 10.1016/j.rbmo.2025.104980

  • 111

    VakaR.ParentS.RishaY.KhanS.CourtmanD.StewartD. J.et al (2023). Extracellular vesicle MicroRNA and protein cargo profiling in three clinical-grade stem cell products reveals key functional pathways. Mol. Ther. Nucleic Acids32, 8093. 10.1016/j.omtn.2023.03.001

  • 112

    ValatkaitėE.BaušytėR.VitkevičienėA.RamašauskaitėD.NavakauskienėR. (2021). Decidualization potency and epigenetic changes in human endometrial origin stem cells during propagation. Front. Cell Dev. Biol.9, 76526515. 10.3389/fcell.2021.765265

  • 113

    VellasamyS. (2012). Isolation and characterisation of mesenchymal stem cells derived from human Placenta tissue. World J. Stem Cells4 (6), 53. 10.4252/wjsc.v4.i6.53

  • 114

    WangH. S.HungS. C.PengS. T.HuangC. C.WeiH. M.GuoY.-J.et al (2004). Mesenchymal stem cells in the wharton’s jelly of the human umbilical cord. Stem Cells22 (7), 13301337. 10.1634/stemcells.2004-0013

  • 115

    WangK.JiangZ.WebsterK. A.ChenJ.HuH.ZhouY.et al (2017). Enhanced cardioprotection by human endometrium mesenchymal stem cells driven by exosomal MicroRNA-21. Stem Cells Transl. Med.6, 209222. 10.5966/sctm.2015-0386

  • 116

    WangX.ZouC.HouC.BianZ.JiangW.LiM.et al (2023). Extracellular vesicles from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells alleviate osteoporosis in mice through USP7-mediated YAP1 protein stability and the wnt/β-catenin pathway. Biochem. Pharmacol.217, 115829. 10.1016/j.bcp.2023.115829

  • 117

    WangC. K.TsaiT. H.LeeC. H. (2024). Regulation of exosomes as biologic medicines: regulatory challenges faced in exosome development and manufacturing processes. Clin. Transl. Sci.17 (8), e13904e13908. 10.1111/cts.13904

  • 118

    WelshJ. A.GoberdhanD. C. I.O’DriscollL.BuzasE. I.BlenkironC.BussolatiB.et al (2024). Minimal information for studies of extracellular vesicles (MISEV2023): from basic to advanced approaches. J. Extracell. Vesicles13 (2), e12404. 10.1002/jev2.12404

  • 119

    WengJ.XiangX.DingL.WongA.Li A.QiZ.SethiG.et al (2021). Extracellular vesicles, the cornerstone of next-generation cancer diagnosis?Seminars Cancer Biol.74, 105120. 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.05.011

  • 120

    WengZ.ZhangB.WuC.YuF.HanB.LiB.et al (2021). Therapeutic roles of mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in cancer. J. Hematol. Oncol.14 (1), 13622. 10.1186/s13045-021-01141-y

  • 121

    WuX.LuoY.ChenJ.PanR.XiangB.DuX.et al (2014). Transplantation of human menstrual blood progenitor cells improves hyperglycemia by promoting endogenous progenitor differentiation in type 1 diabetic mice. Stem Cells Dev.23 (11), 12451257. 10.1089/scd.2013.0390

  • 122

    XieQ. P.HuangH.XuB.DongX.GaoS. L.ZhangBoet al (2009). Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiate into insulin-producing cells upon microenvironmental manipulation in vitro. Differentiation77 (5), 483491. 10.1016/j.diff.2009.01.001

  • 123

    XingX.HanS.ChengG.NiY.LiZ.LiZ. (2020). Proteomic analysis of exosomes from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells: a novel therapeutic strategy for tissue injury. BioMed Res. Int., 6094562. 10.1155/2020/6094562

  • 124

    YangH.LiC.CheM.LiangJ.TianX.YangG.et al (2024). HDAC11 deficiency resists obesity by converting adipose-derived stem cells into Brown adipocyte-like cells. Int. J. Biol. Macromol.258, 128852. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.128852

  • 125

    YokoiA.YoshiokaY.OchiyaT. (2015). Towards the realization of clinical extracellular vesicle diagnostics: challenges and opportunities. Expert Rev. Mol. Diagnostics15 (12), 15551566. 10.1586/14737159.2015.1104249

  • 126

    YuX.WangN.QiangR.WanQ.QinM.ChenS.et al (2014). Human amniotic fluid stem cells possess the potential to differentiate into primordial follicle oocytes in vitro. Biol. Reproduction90 (4), 7311. 10.1095/biolreprod.113.112920

  • 127

    ZafardoustS.KazemnejadS.DarziM.Fathi-KazerooniM.RastegariH.MohammadzadehA. (2020). Improvement of pregnancy rate and live birth rate in poor ovarian responders by intraovarian administration of autologous menstrual blood derived- mesenchymal stromal cells: phase I/II clinical trial. Stem Cell Rev. Rep.16 (4), 755763. 10.1007/s12015-020-09969-6

  • 128

    ZaheerA.KomelA.BakrM. B. A.SinghA. K.Sam SajiA.KharalM. M.et al (2024). Potential for and challenges of menstrual blood as a non-invasive diagnostic specimen: current status and future directions. Ann. Med. and Surg.86 (8), 45914600. 10.1097/ms9.0000000000002261

  • 129

    ZemelkoV. I.GrinchukT. M.DomninaA. P.ArtzibashevaI. V.ZeninV. V.KirsanovA. A.et al (2012). Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells of desquamated endometrium: isolation, characterization, and application as a feeder layer for maintenance of human embryonic stem cells. Cell Tissue Biol.6 (1), 111. 10.1134/S1990519X12010129

  • 130

    ZhangH. C.LiuX. B.HuangS.BiX. Y.WangH. X.XieLi X.et al (2012). Microvesicles derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells stimulated by hypoxia promote angiogenesis both in vitro and in vivo. Stem Cells Dev.21 (18), 32893297. 10.1089/scd.2012.0095

  • 131

    ZhangS.ChangQ.LiP.TongX.FengY.XinyaoH.et al (2021a). Concentrated small extracellular vesicles from menstrual blood-derived stromal cells improve intrauterine adhesion, a pre-clinical study in a rat model. Nanoscale13 (15), 73347347. 10.1039/d0nr08942g

  • 132

    ZhangS.HuangB.SuP.ChangQ.LiP.SongA.et al (2021b). Concentrated exosomes from menstrual blood-derived stromal cells improves ovarian activity in a rat model of premature ovarian insufficiency. Stem Cell Res. Ther.12 (1), 17816. 10.1186/s13287-021-02255-3

  • 133

    ZhangX.WuY.ChengQ.BaiL.HuangS.GaoJ. (2022). Extracellular vesicles in cardiovascular diseases: diagnosis and therapy. Front. Cell Dev. Biol.10, 87537612. 10.3389/fcell.2022.875376

  • 134

    ZhangX.ZhangS.QiJ.ZhaoF.LuY.LiS.et al (2023). PDGFBB improved the biological function of menstrual blood-derived stromal cells and the anti-fibrotic properties of exosomes. Stem Cell Res. Ther.14 (1), 113114. 10.1186/s13287-023-03339-y

  • 135

    ZhengYu B.GaoZ. L.XieC.ZhuH. P.PengL.ChenJ. H.et al (2008). Characterization and hepatogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from human amniotic fluid and human bone marrow: a comparative study. Cell Biol. Int.32 (11), 14391448. 10.1016/j.cellbi.2008.08.015

  • 136

    ZhouW.LianY.JiangJ.WangL.RenL.LiY.et al (2020). Differential expression of MicroRNA in exosomes derived from endometrial stromal cells of women with endometriosis-associated infertility. Reprod. Biomed. Online41 (2), 170181. 10.1016/j.rbmo.2020.04.010

Summary

Keywords

menstrual blood mesenchymal stromal cells, extracellular vesicles, MSCs, biomarkers, therapy, diagnostics

Citation

Vaiciuleviciute R, Pachaleva J, Bernotiene E, Kugaudaite G, Lebedis I, Krugly E and Uzieliene I (2025) Menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stromal cell extracellular vesicles – a potential tool for tissue regeneration and disease detection. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 13:1643408. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2025.1643408

Received

08 June 2025

Accepted

11 July 2025

Published

08 August 2025

Volume

13 - 2025

Edited by

Ranieri Cancedda, Independent Researcher, Genoa, Italy

Reviewed by

Roberta Tasso, University of Genoa, Italy

Md Shaifur Rahman, Institute of Tissue Banking and Biomaterial Research, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Bangladesh

Updates

Copyright

*Correspondence: Ilona Uzieliene,

†These authors have contributed equally to this work

Disclaimer

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Outline

Figures

Cite article

Copy to clipboard


Export citation file


Share article

Article metrics