Use of extracellular vesicles as a therapeutic option for graft-versus-host disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

The use of extracellular vesicles (EVs) for immunomodulation has allowed the advancement of therapeutic options for several pathologies that involve immunological mechanisms, including graft versus host disease (GVHD). Therefore, studying the effectiveness of using EVs for the prevention and control of GVHD becomes essential for the establishment of future clinical protocols. Therefore, this research aims to evaluate, by a systematic review, the use of EVs as a therapeutic option for GVHD. To this end, the study will be conducted following the recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The electronic literature search will be carried out using the PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Cochrane Library databases until November 2024 to answer the PICO question: "Would the use of extracellular vesicles be an efficient therapeutic option for graft-versus-host disease?". Control or prevention of GVHD will be considered the primary outcome and the molecular mechanisms involved will be included in the secondary outcome. The dosage, route of administration and EV source cells will also be analyzed. After selecting the articles and extracting the data, bias analysis and meta-analysis will be made. It is expected to determine the effectiveness of using EVs as a therapeutic option for GVHD.