Application of Extracellular Vesicle‐Based Nanocomposites in Osteoarthritis Therapy

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are lipid bilayer membranes that share lipids and proteins with parental cells, enabling the targeted transfer of bioactive molecules to recipient cells, tissues or organs for functional modulation. EV‐based nanocomposites constitute an emerging delivery platform that combines the biological benefits of EVs with the tunable physicochemical features of nanomaterials, offering an opportunity for overcoming drawbacks of conventional therapeutics or delivery systems, including inefficient targeting or infiltration across biological barriers, undesirable bioavailability, and potential adverse effects. Osteoarthritis (OA), one of the most common chronic degenerative joint disorders, is characterized by cartilage degradation, synovial inflammation, and aberrant bone remodeling, and so forth. Current clinical treatments remain largely palliative or invasive, with limited efficacy to prevent disease progression. In contrast, EV‐based nanocomposites, for example, can achieve cell‐specific targeting of chondrocytes or synovial cells via receptor‐mediated homing, enable on‐demand delivery of anti‐inflammatory agents, cartilage‐repair molecules, or gene‐editing components, and remain compatible with image‐guided therapeutic precision. Herein, this review outlines recent advances, design principles, and optimization for EV‐based nanocomposites, highlighting their applications in OA therapy. Current challenges and insights for future clinical translation of EV‐based nanocomposites are also discussed. Collectively, this review may underscore the translational potential of EV‐based nanocomposites for OA therapy.