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REVIEW ARTICLE

Mechanisms of action and translational prospects of plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles in skin injury repair

Muqi Wang1 ,  Rong Chen1 ,  Bowen Bai2 ,  Mingyuan Lei1 ,  Hao Li1 ,  Yixin Xu1 ,  Huaming Mai1 ,  Hongyu Wang1 ,  Hao Cheng1* ,  Jian Wang1*
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1 Department of Orthopedic, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
2 Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bone and Cartilage Regenerative Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
OTE, 026100006 https://doi.org/10.36922/OTE026100006
Received: 4 March 2026 | Revised: 4 April 2026 | Accepted: 30 April 2026 | Published online: 19 May 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Skin injury encompasses acute trauma, burns, inflammatory dermatoses, and chronic non-healing wounds. Because its pathological progression involves cascaded mechanisms, including dysregulated inflammation, exacerbated oxidative stress, impaired angiogenesis, and aberrant extracellular matrix remodeling, plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (PDENVs) have emerged as dual-functional nanobiomaterials for targeted delivery and therapy, leveraging their low immunogenicity, high structural stability, and endogenous bioactive cargoes. PDENVs attenuate inflammation by inhibiting inflammasome activation and modulating macrophage polarization; concurrently, they activate the erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) antioxidant signaling axis and promote angiogenesis, thereby facilitating matrix remodeling associated with transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). By integrating these coordinated actions, PDENVs systematically mediate interventions across the sequential pathological phases of cutaneous repair. To maximize localized delivery efficiency, formulating PDENVs within specific stimuli-responsive hydrogels, electrospun nanofibers, and 3D-printed scaffolds can substantially improve their retention at the wound site. Despite their multi-dimensional therapeutic promise, the clinical translation of PDENVs remains constrained by definitive regulatory pathways, standardized quality control, and scalable manufacturing. Distinguishing itself from existing literature on PDENVs, this review specifically integrates relevant molecular mechanisms in a phase-specific manner across the dynamic wound healing cascade. Driven by this pathophysiological progression, the analysis systematically categorizes and cross-evaluates cutting-edge engineered delivery strategies based on the inherent heterogeneity of their botanical sources. Ultimately, by elucidating the biological characteristics, comprehensive mechanistic landscape, and translational pathways of these nanovesicles, this work seeks to establish a robust theoretical foundation for the development of next-generation regenerative medicine platforms.

Keywords
Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles
Skin injury repair
Inflammation regulation
Oxidative stress
Angiogenesis
Extracellular matrix
Regenerative medicine
Funding
This work was supported by Guangdong S&T program (2024A0505040014).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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