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Review
. 2025 May 9:29:0148.
doi: 10.34133/bmr.0148. eCollection 2025.

Exosome-Based Therapeutics in Dermatology

Lanjie Lei  1 , Shaoyu Zhou  2 , Lingyao Zeng  1 , Qiancheng Gu  1 , Huaqian Xue  1 , Fangyan Wang  1 , Jiayin Feng  1 , Shumao Cui  3 , Liyun Shi  1
Affiliations
Review

Exosome-Based Therapeutics in Dermatology

Lanjie Lei et al. Biomater Res. .

Abstract

Exosomes (Exos) are tiny extracellular vesicles containing a variety of active biomolecules that play important parts in intercellular communication and influence the functions of target cells. The potential of Exos in the treatment of dermatological diseases has recently been well appreciated. This review highlights the constituents, function, and delivery of Exos, with a particular focus on their applications in skin therapy. Firstly, we offer a concise overview of the biochemical properties of Exos, including their sources, structures, and internal constituents. Subsequently, the biomedical functions of Exos and the latest advances in the extraction and purification of Exos are summarized. We further discuss the modes of delivery of Exos and underscore the potential of biomaterials in this regard. Finally, we summarize the application of Exo-aided therapy in dermatology. Overall, the objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive perspective on the applications and recent advancements of Exo-based approaches in treating skin diseases, with the intention of guiding future research efforts.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Introduction to exosomes (Exos). (A) Schematic of Exo production. (B) Forms of Exo action. (C) Exo biomarkers. The figure is reproduced with modifications from Ref. [31] (Copyright 2021, Gurung et al.).
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Exos for tissue repair. (A and B) Diagram outlining atorvastatin (ATV)-pretreated MSC Exos (A) [82] (Copyright ©2020, Yu et al.) and ADMSC Exos (B) [84] (Copyright ©2022, Acta Materialia Inc., published by Elsevier) promoted wound healing by increasing skin cell proliferation and migration. (C) M2 Exos accelerate wound healing by inducing M1-to-M2 conversion [90] (Copyright ©2019, Advanced Science, published by WILEY). (D) Diagram outlining the use of 3D Exo for the treatment of SCI in rats [97] (Copyright ©2022, Nano Letters, published by the American Chemical Society).
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Microspheres for Exo delivery. (A) Exos-adsorbed PMS-PDA microsphere for the treatment of bone defects [182] (Copyright ©2019, Gao et al.). (B) Rapamycin-loaded Exos-mimetic nanoparticles PLGA microspheres preparation [183] (Copyright ©2019, Li et al.). (C) Tβ4-ASCs microspheres for myocardial infarction therapy [185] (Copyright ©2019, Chen et al.).
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
MNs for Exos delivery. (A) MN#ZIC@MSCEXO/LIP-BOR MN patches [187] (Copyright ©2023, published by Elsevier B.V.). (B) Schematic illustrations outlining the synthesis and verification of the EXO/MBA MN system [190] (Copyright ©2021, ACS Nano, published by the American Chemical Society).
Fig. 5.
Fig. 5.
Exos for psoriasis and anti-aging therapy. (A) Diagram of the preparation and use of Pristimerin@Exos in the treatment of psoriasis [214] (Copyright ©2023, Jia et al.). (B) SHED Exos nanoparticles for aging-impaired tendon stem/progenitor cell therapy [219] (Copyright ©2023, Advanced Materials, published by Wiley-VCH GmbH). (C) Young fibroblasts Exos for wound healing in aged skin treatment [221] (Copyright ©2022, Xia et al.).
Fig. 6.
Fig. 6.
Exos for promoting skin wound healing. (A) Preparation of PEG-based injectables and promotion of wound healing hydrogels [234] (Copyright ©2021, Small, published by Wiley-VCH GmbH). (B) Synthesis of HA@MnO2/FGF-2/Exo hydrogel and mechanism of promoting wound healing [235] (Copyright ©2021, Small, published by Wiley-VCH GmbH).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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