Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics
Chronic wounds pose a significant healthcare challenge, impacting millions of patients worldwide and burdening healthcare systems substantially. These wounds often occur as comorbidities and are prone to infections. Such infections hinder the healing process, complicating clinical management and pro...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Pharmaceutics |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/366 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849341689635799040 |
|---|---|
| author | Anita Yadav Anu Sharma Mohini Moulick Subhadip Ghatak |
| author_facet | Anita Yadav Anu Sharma Mohini Moulick Subhadip Ghatak |
| author_sort | Anita Yadav |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Chronic wounds pose a significant healthcare challenge, impacting millions of patients worldwide and burdening healthcare systems substantially. These wounds often occur as comorbidities and are prone to infections. Such infections hinder the healing process, complicating clinical management and proving recalcitrant to therapy. The environment within the wound itself poses challenges such as lack of oxygen, restricted blood flow, oxidative stress, ongoing inflammation, and bacterial presence. Traditional systemic treatment for such chronic peripheral wounds may not be effective due to inadequate blood supply, resulting in unintended side effects. Furthermore, topical applications are often impervious to persistent biofilm infections. A growing clinical concern is the lack of effective therapeutic modalities for treating chronic wounds. Additionally, the chemically harsh wound microenvironment can reduce the effectiveness of treatments, highlighting the need for drug delivery systems that can deliver therapies precisely where needed with optimal dosages. Compared to cell-based therapies, exosome-based therapies offer distinct advantages as a cell-free approach for chronic wound treatment. Exosomes are of endosomal origin and enable cell-to-cell communications, and they possess benefits, including biocompatibility and decreased immunogenicity, making them ideal vehicles for efficient targeting and minimizing off-target damage. However, exosomes are rapidly cleared from the body, making it difficult to maintain optimal therapeutic concentrations at wound sites. The hydrogel-based approach and development of biocompatible scaffolds for exosome-based therapies can be beneficial for sustained release and prolong the presence of these therapeutic exosomes at chronic wound sites. Engineered exosomes have been shown to possess stability and effectiveness in promoting wound healing compared to their unmodified counterparts. Significant progress has been made in this field, but further research is essential to unlock their clinical potential. This review seeks to explore the benefits and opportunities of exosome-based therapies in chronic wounds, ensuring sustained efficacy and precise delivery despite the obstacles posed by the wound environment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-bd3ccb1077844ab3a53733fa0f6836f4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1999-4923 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmaceutics |
| spelling | doaj-art-bd3ccb1077844ab3a53733fa0f6836f42025-08-20T03:43:34ZengMDPI AGPharmaceutics1999-49232025-03-0117336610.3390/pharmaceutics17030366Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome TherapeuticsAnita Yadav0Anu Sharma1Mohini Moulick2Subhadip Ghatak3McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USAMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USAMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USAMcGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USAChronic wounds pose a significant healthcare challenge, impacting millions of patients worldwide and burdening healthcare systems substantially. These wounds often occur as comorbidities and are prone to infections. Such infections hinder the healing process, complicating clinical management and proving recalcitrant to therapy. The environment within the wound itself poses challenges such as lack of oxygen, restricted blood flow, oxidative stress, ongoing inflammation, and bacterial presence. Traditional systemic treatment for such chronic peripheral wounds may not be effective due to inadequate blood supply, resulting in unintended side effects. Furthermore, topical applications are often impervious to persistent biofilm infections. A growing clinical concern is the lack of effective therapeutic modalities for treating chronic wounds. Additionally, the chemically harsh wound microenvironment can reduce the effectiveness of treatments, highlighting the need for drug delivery systems that can deliver therapies precisely where needed with optimal dosages. Compared to cell-based therapies, exosome-based therapies offer distinct advantages as a cell-free approach for chronic wound treatment. Exosomes are of endosomal origin and enable cell-to-cell communications, and they possess benefits, including biocompatibility and decreased immunogenicity, making them ideal vehicles for efficient targeting and minimizing off-target damage. However, exosomes are rapidly cleared from the body, making it difficult to maintain optimal therapeutic concentrations at wound sites. The hydrogel-based approach and development of biocompatible scaffolds for exosome-based therapies can be beneficial for sustained release and prolong the presence of these therapeutic exosomes at chronic wound sites. Engineered exosomes have been shown to possess stability and effectiveness in promoting wound healing compared to their unmodified counterparts. Significant progress has been made in this field, but further research is essential to unlock their clinical potential. This review seeks to explore the benefits and opportunities of exosome-based therapies in chronic wounds, ensuring sustained efficacy and precise delivery despite the obstacles posed by the wound environment.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/366functional wound closureengineered exosomescell–cell communicationbiocompatible scaffoldsexosome-targeted therapies |
| spellingShingle | Anita Yadav Anu Sharma Mohini Moulick Subhadip Ghatak Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics Pharmaceutics functional wound closure engineered exosomes cell–cell communication biocompatible scaffolds exosome-targeted therapies |
| title | Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics |
| title_full | Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics |
| title_fullStr | Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics |
| title_full_unstemmed | Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics |
| title_short | Nanomanaging Chronic Wounds with Targeted Exosome Therapeutics |
| title_sort | nanomanaging chronic wounds with targeted exosome therapeutics |
| topic | functional wound closure engineered exosomes cell–cell communication biocompatible scaffolds exosome-targeted therapies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/17/3/366 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT anitayadav nanomanagingchronicwoundswithtargetedexosometherapeutics AT anusharma nanomanagingchronicwoundswithtargetedexosometherapeutics AT mohinimoulick nanomanagingchronicwoundswithtargetedexosometherapeutics AT subhadipghatak nanomanagingchronicwoundswithtargetedexosometherapeutics |