Exosomes derived from umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) containing circBBS2 enhanced Solute Carrier Family 7, Member 11 (SLC7A11) expression by sponging miR-494, thereby suppressing ferroptosis and alleviating ischemic stroke; circBBS2 acts as a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) to sequester miR-494, which normally represses SLC7A11 translation, leading to increased System Xc− activity and glutathione production (Hong et al., 2023). The gene discussed is SLC7A11; the disease is ischemic stroke.