Exercise-induced extracellular vesicles enhance aged cartilage health via microRNA-29
A three-month aerobic program in older adults generated microRNA-29-loaded vesicles that boosted Klotho expression and enhanced cartilage health in mice.
Nature aging · Iijima H et al. · Paper published 29 Sep 2026
In a study of older adults and aged mice, researchers investigated how exercise-derived extracellular vesicles influence joint tissue during aging. Network analyses first identified microRNA-29 as an exercise-responsive regulator of cellular aging in cartilage. Following a three-month aerobic exercise intervention in older human adults, circulating extracellular vesicles contained increased levels of microRNA-29 compared to baseline. In cell culture, these exercise-primed vesicles epigenetically de-repressed the KL gene, which encodes the longevity factor α-Klotho, and restored a more youthful phenotype in aged chondrocytes. Vesicles engineered with microRNA-29 reproduced these anabolic effects through a KL-dependent pathway. Delivering exercise-primed vesicles directly into the joints of aged mice enhanced cartilage health.
Why it matters
This work identifies a specific mechanism by which exercise conveys systemic signals to distal tissues, linking vesicle-delivered microRNAs directly to the regulation of the longevity-associated protein α-Klotho.
Caveats
The abstract does not report participant sample sizes or clinical joint outcomes in humans, and in vivo tissue health was evaluated only in aged mice.
Written from the paper’s abstract, and every claim checked against it before publishing. Read the paper for the full methods and data.
The paper
Exercise enhances aged chondrocyte health through microRNA-29-enriched extracellular vesicles
Iijima H, Dave KM, Wang K et al.
Nature aging · 29 Sep 2026 · Peer-reviewed
- Relevance
- Core geroscience
- News value
- Important
- Evidence
- Human trial
- Status
- Peer-reviewed
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