心脏老化是年老心脏功能失能及心衰的重要原因，目前无有效延缓或逆转的疗法。申请人发现：年老大鼠心脏经移植年青心脏Telocytes（CTs）外泌体，①能显著减少SA-β-gal阳性衰老心肌细胞数目；②改善年老心脏心功能及年老个体血清的炎症指标；③CTs外泌体所含的miRNAs是发挥上述抗心脏老化功能的重要功能分子；④对心梗心脏移植年青CTs外泌体能显著减小梗死面积及心肌层纤维化、改善心功能、促进血管新生。进而提出：“对年老心脏实施年青CTs外泌体治疗，有可能延缓或逆转年老心脏结构与功能退行性老化改变”的研究假说。并对：①年青CTs外泌体延缓或逆转年老心脏结构与功能退行性改变的具体疗效及作用机制，②甄别出年青CTs外泌体中能逆转年老心脏结构与功能退行性改变的关键miRNA,并阐明其作用的细胞与分子机制及有效的干预方法，该两个关键问题进行研究，为延缓或逆转心脏老化带来理论、靶点与疗法的突破。

Heart aging is one of important causes of cardiac dysfunction and heart failure in the elderly. There is currently no effective treatment to delay or reverse heart aging. The applicant found that: transplantation of young cardiac telocytes (CTs) derived exosomes in the heart of old rats is able to, ① significantly reduce the number of SA-β-gal positive senescent cardiomyocytes; ② improve the heart function of aged heart and serum inflammation biomarkers of old rats; ③ miRNAs included in young CTs derived exosomes are important functional molecules that exert the above anti-heart aging effects; ④ transplantation of young CTs derived exosomes in infracted myocardium is able to significantly reduce the infarct size and cardiac fibrosis, improve heart function, and promote angiogenesis. Accordingly, applicant proposes the research hypothesis: “Treatment of young CTs derived exosome for aged heart might delay or rejuvenate the degenerative changes of the aged heart structurally and functionally”. The proposed study therefore to be designed to furthered investigate the following critical issues: ① The therapeutic effects of young CTs derived exosomes delaying or rejuvenating the degenerative changes of the aged heart structurally an functionally and the related mechanism, and ② Identifying the key effective factors-miRNAs included in young CTs derived exosomes which are able to reverse and rejuvenate degenerative changes of the aged heart structurally and functionally, and the possible intervention methods. It is believed that the findings of this study will contribute progress and breakthrough in theory, therapeutic target and therapy to delay or rejuvenate heart aging.