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World J Stem Cells. Oct 26, 2026; 18(10): 125852
Published online Oct 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.125852
Published online Oct 26, 2026. doi: 10.4252/wjsc.125852
Stem cell secretome- and extracellular vesicle-based therapies for retinal pathologies
Matteo Capobianco, Eye Clinic, Policlinico G. Rodolico, University of Catania, Catania 95121, Italy
Matteo Capobianco, Faculty of Medicine, University of Catania, Catania 95123, Italy
Francesco Cappellani, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna “Kore”, Enna 94100, Italy
Francesco Cappellani, Mediterranean Foundation “G.B. Morgagni”, Catania 95125, Italy
Ehimare S Enaholo, Department of Ophthalmology, Centre for Sight Africa Ltd, Nkpor 434101, Nigeria
Marco Zeppieri, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, Udine 33100, Italy
Marco Zeppieri, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste 34127, Italy
Co-first authors: Matteo Capobianco and Francesco Cappellani.
Author contributions: Capobianco M and Cappellani F contributed equally to this work and share first authorship, as Capobianco M and Cappellani F made comparable and substantial contributions to the conception, research, and drafting of the manuscript; Capobianco M, Cappellani F, and Zeppieri M performed the research and wrote the manuscript, and were responsible for the conception and design of the study; Capobianco M, Cappellani F, and Enaholo ES contributed to the manuscript drafting and revising; Capobianco M, Cappellani F, Enaholo ES, and Zeppieri M contributed to the manuscript writing and critical editing; Zeppieri M performed language editing and critical revision of all manuscript versions. All authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: During the revision of this manuscript, ChatGPT (OpenAI, GPT-5.4) and Grammarly were used to support language editing, rephrasing, and lexical refinement. No AI tools were employed in making scientific inferences or defining the conclusions of this review. The authors retain full responsibility for the accuracy, integrity, and final content of this manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Marco Zeppieri, MD, PhD, Consultant, Postdoc, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Udine, p. le S. Maria della Misericordia 15, Udine 33100, Italy. mark.zeppieri@asufc.sanita.fvg.it
Received: July 20, 2026
Revised: August 24, 2026
Accepted: October 20, 2026
Published online: October 26, 2026
Processing time: 100 Days and 19.1 Hours
Revised: August 24, 2026
Accepted: October 20, 2026
Published online: October 26, 2026
Processing time: 100 Days and 19.1 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Stem cell secretome and extracellular vesicles are under exploration as acellular therapeutic approaches for retinal disease. Their biological activity appears to depend largely on the transfer of trophic factors, proteins, lipids, and regulatory RNAs that can influence inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, vascular homeostasis, and neuronal survival. Although the findings reported to date are encouraging, most of the available evidence remains preclinical. Before these products can enter routine retinal care, substantial work is still needed to standardize their production and characterization, define appropriate dosing, establish reliable potency assays, and assess long-term safety.