RESUMEN
Steroid induced osteonecrosis of femoral head (SONFH) is a progressive and refractory orthopedic disease, which has a great impact on the physical and mental health of patients, but the pathogenesis of SONFH is still unclear. Exosomes are extracellular lipid structural vesicles with a diameter of 30-120 nm that can be produced by most types of cells. The vesicles can reflect the physiological characteristics of the source cells, and transfer bioactive substances to target cells to affect cell activities. Exosomes derived from different mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play an important role in the development of SONFH and many other aspects. In addition, the current research also suggests that exosomes are expected to become an important tool for diagnosis and treatment of SONFH, and even to guide the early clinical use of glucocorticoids, but more high-quality research and evidence based medicine are needed. Focusing on the research progress in the treatment of SONFH by exosomes from different MSCs, the research progress in the role of exosomes from other different sources and exosomes in the diagnosis of SONFH is expounded, in order to provide a new idea for the diagnosis and treatment of SONFH.