Dysregulated Repair in Aging and Disease: Extracellular Vesicles as an Emerging Protective Strategy

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Regenerative Medicine
• Geroscience

Background:

• Tissue repair involves coordinated phases (hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, remodeling) regulated by immune-stromal interactions.
• Aging disrupts repair via immunosenescence, inflammaging, cellular senescence, and matrix alterations, leading to age-related diseases.
• Age-related decline impacts wound healing, increasing susceptibility to ulcerative and fibrotic conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review immune mechanisms in physiological tissue healing.
• To examine age-related disruptions in tissue repair processes.
• To highlight extracellular vesicles (EVs) as therapeutic agents for modulating repair.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of immune mechanisms in tissue repair.
• Analysis of aging's impact on healing processes.
• Discussion of extracellular vesicle (EV) applications and translational challenges.

Main Results:

• Aging significantly dysregulates tissue repair through immune and cellular changes.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from mammalian and plant sources offer potential for modulating repair.
• EVs present a low-immunogenicity option to restore tissue repair homeostasis.

Conclusions:

• Understanding age-related immune dysregulation is crucial for addressing impaired healing.
• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a promising therapeutic strategy for regenerative medicine and dermatology.
• Overcoming translational hurdles in EV standardization, dosing, and manufacturing is essential for clinical application.