Role of Extracellular Vesicles in Stem Cell Therapy

Burn wounds are a major source of morbidity and mortality in both the military and civilian settings. Research about the pathophysiology of thermal injury has revealed possible interventions that can aid this process to reduce scarring and wound contracture. Bone Marrow derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BM-MSCs) have been an exciting topic in research for many years. They have been shown to facilitate wound healing and tissue regeneration, two areas that are vital in the healing process, especially in burn wounds. More recently the discovery of Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) has allowed us to further characterize the immunomodulatory roles and understand the cellular pathways implicated in wound healing. The purpose of this review is to discuss the role of EVs in wound healing, and to propose that EVs are the main mechanism that deliver cellular materials to target cells to coordinate wound healing following tissue injury.