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. 2025 Jul 29;52(1):769.
doi: 10.1007/s11033-025-10867-8.

Preparation of Allium cepa-derived exosome-like nanovesicles and their anti-inflammatory potential in a skin wound healing mouse model

Fatemeh Azizi  1 , Elham Shiri  2   3 , Zahra Azadian  1 , Fahimeh Piryaei  3   4 , Akram Jalali  1   3 , Fatemeh Nouri  5   6 , Razieh Dalirfardouei  7
Affiliations

Preparation of Allium cepa-derived exosome-like nanovesicles and their anti-inflammatory potential in a skin wound healing mouse model

Fatemeh Azizi et al. Mol Biol Rep. .

Abstract

Background: Nanovesicles derived from botanical sources have garnered significant attention in the medicine and pharmacology due to their straightforward and efficient scaling methods for isolation. Allium cepa (A. cepa), or common red onion, has a long history in traditional medicine, primarily for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Despite the growing interest, the biological activity of red onion-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (RDNVs) remains inadequately explored. In this context we tried to prepare nanovesicles from red onion juice and their therapeutic potential in a full-thickness skin wound animal model.

Methods and results: Following isolation and characterization of RDNVs, their anti-oxidant capacity was assessed via 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity assays. A single, full-thickness, circular wound was created on the backs of C57BL/6 mice. Thirty mice were randomly administrated with PBS (control), red onion ethanolic extract, and RDNV. Wound healing parameters such as re-epithelialization, antioxidant status, and inflammation were evaluated at Days 4 and 7 post-wounding. The cup-shaped RDNVs isolated from A. cepa showed significant antioxidant activity and effectively polarized M1 phenotype to M2 phenotype macrophages compared to control group. Furthermore, the pro-inflammatory genes expression was significantly reduced in both RDNV and onion extract-treated groups (p-value < 0.01). Histological analysis revealed improved granulation tissue formation and re-epithelialization, and significant reduction in inflammatory cells in RDNV-treated wounds.

Conclusions: The findings of this study support the idea that RDNVs shed new light on skin wound management through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity and accelerating wound healing.

Keywords: Alluim cepa; Anti-inflammation; Antioxidant; Extracellular vesicle; Nanovesicle; Red onion.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Conflict of interest: The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interest to disclose. All co-authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript. Ethical approval: This research, including animal studies, received ethical approval from the Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee (IR.UMSHA.AEC.1402.024). Consent to participate: Not applicable. Consent for publication: Not applicable.

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