Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Zhida Chen
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Hui-Ting Wu
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Xin-Xiang Chen
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Peiqi Zhan
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Zheng-Yi Wei
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Zizhang Ouyang
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Qingyuan People’s Hospital, Qingyuan 511518, China
Xueyan Jiang
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Ao Shen
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Min-Hua Luo
State Key Laboratory of Virology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (CEBSIT), Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China
Qifa Liu
Department of Hematology, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
Yue-Peng Zhou
State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, National Center for Magnetic Resonance in Wuhan, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics, Wuhan 430071, China
Aiping Qin
Guangzhou Municipal and Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Molecular Target & Clinical Pharmacology, The NMPA and State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Disease, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the Sixth Affiliated Hospital, School of Basic Medical Science, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
Reactivation and infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) are frequently observed in recipients of solid organ transplants, bone marrow transplants, and individuals with HIV infection. This presents an increasing risk of allograft rejection, opportunistic infection, graft failure, and patient mortality. Among immunocompromised hosts, interstitial pneumonia is the most critical clinical manifestation of CMV infection. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential therapeutic benefits of exosomes derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-exos) in preclinical models of acute lung injury, including pneumonia, ARDS, and sepsis. However, the role of MSC-exos in the pathogenesis of infectious viral diseases, such as CMV pneumonia, remains unclear. In a mouse model of murine CMV-induced pneumonia, we observed that intravenous administration of mouse MSC (mMSC)-exos reduced lung damage, decreased the hyperinflammatory response, and shifted macrophage polarization from the M1 to the M2 phenotype. Treatment with mMSC-exos also significantly reduced the infiltration of inflammatory cells and pulmonary fibrosis. Furthermore, in vitro studies revealed that mMSC-exos reversed the hyperinflammatory phenotype of bone marrow-derived macrophages infected with murine CMV. Mechanistically, mMSC-exos treatment decreased activation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. In summary, our findings indicate that mMSC-exo treatment is effective in severe CMV pneumonia by reducing lung inflammation and fibrosis through the NF-κB/NLRP3 signaling pathway, thus providing promising therapeutic potential for clinical CMV infection.