The application of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and their derivative exosome in skin wound healing: a comprehensive review

Abstract

Recently, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) and also their exosome has become a game-changing tool in the context of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. MSCs due to their competencies to establish skin cells, such as fibroblast and keratinocyte, and also their unique attribute to suppress inflammation in wound site has attracted increasing attention among scholars. In addition, MSC's other capabilities to induce angiogenesis as a result of secretion of pro-angiogenic factors accompanied with marked anti-fibrotic activities, which mainly mediated by the releases matrix metalloproteinase (MMPs), make them a rational and effective strategy to accelerate wound healing with a small scar. Since the chief healing properties of the MSCs depend on their paracrine effects, it appears that MSCs-derived exosomes also can be an alternative option to support wound healing and skin regeneration as an innovative cell-free approach. Such exosomes convey functional cargos (e.g., growth factor, cytokine, miRNA, etc.) from MSCs to target cells, thereby affecting the recipient skin cells' biological events, such as migration, proliferation, and also secretion of ECM components (e.g., collagen). The main superiorities of exosome therapy over parental MSCs are the diminished risk of tumor formation and also lower immunogenicity. Herein, we deliver an overview of recent in vivo reports rendering the therapeutic benefits of the MSCs-based therapies to ease skin wound healing, and so improving quality of life among patients suffering from such conditions.

Keywords: Differentiation; Exosome; Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs); Paracrine factors; Wound healing.

Fig. 1

Schematic illustration of the phase and their responding cells involved in wound healing in vivo

Fig. 2

Schematic illustration of the biogenesis, compositions, and also release of the exosome. Following MVB incorporation with the cellular membrane, the release of exosome into the extracellular space is accomplished, and finally the released molecules are conveyed to recipient cells through endocytosis, or direct membrane fusion, or receptor‐ligand interfaces. Intraluminal vesicles (ILVs), Endosomal complexes required for transport (ESCRT), Multivesicular bodies (MVBs), Trans-Golgi network (TGN), Ras-related in the brain (Rab), Soluble NSF attachment protein receptor (SNARE)