Publication Name	World Journal of Stem Cells
Manuscript ID	114306
Country	South Korea

Category	Cell & Tissue Engineering
Manuscript Type	Letter to the Editor
Article Title	Exosomal delivery of GrpE-like 1 from synovial mesenchymal stem cells activates PINK1-mediated mitophagy for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis
Manuscript Source	Invited Manuscript
All Author List	Soumya Deep Phadikar, Ramya Lakshmi Rajendran, Sathish Muthu, Prakash Gangadaran and Byeong-Cheol Ahn
Funding Agency and Grant Number	Funding Agency Grant Number Basic Science Research Program NRF-2022R1I1A1A01068652
Corresponding Author	Byeong-Cheol Ahn, Department of Nuclear Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, 680 Gukchaebosang-ro, Jung-gu, Daegu 41944, South Korea. abc2000@knu.ac.kr
Key Words	Osteoarthritis; Exosomes; Synovial mesenchymal stem cell; GrpE-like 1; PINK1; Mitophagy; Mitochondrial quality control; Cartilage repair
Core Tip	This study identifies GrpE-like 1 (GRPEL1) as a mitophagy-related biomarker that is suppressed in osteoarthritis and demonstrates that exosomes derived from synovial mesenchymal stem cells can be engineered to deliver GRPEL1 to chondrocytes. Delivery of GRPEL1 via these exosomes restores mitochondrial homeostasis through PINK1-dependent mitophagy, reduces oxidative damage, preserves the extracellular matrix, and improves histological outcomes in a rat model of osteoarthritis. This represents a translationally promising, cell-free strategy for disease modification in osteoarthritis.
Citation	Phadikar SD, Rajendran RL, Muthu S, Gangadaran P, Ahn BC. Exosomal delivery of GrpE-like 1 from synovial mesenchymal stem cells activates PINK1-mediated mitophagy for cartilage repair in osteoarthritis. World J Stem Cells 2025; In press

Received	2025-09-16 06:25
Peer-Review Started	2025-09-16 06:25
To Make the First Decision
Return for Revision	2025-09-29 07:28
Revised	2025-10-01 11:00
Second Decision	2025-11-05 02:43
Accepted by Journal Editor-in-Chief
Accepted by Executive Editor-in-Chief	2025-11-05 08:26
Articles in Press	2025-11-05 08:26
Publication Fee Transferred
Edit the Manuscript by Language Editor
Typeset the Manuscript

ISSN	1948-0210 (online)
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