Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026
10:03
Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Melanoma Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes
Published on: November 11, 2016
Keratinocyte-Derived Apoptotic Nanovehicles Reprogram Cutaneous Dendritic Cells to Ameliorate Psoriasis
Xiaolu Ma1, Ruyi Lin1, Yihua Xu1
1Institute of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
ACS Nano
|June 16, 2026
Summary
New nanovehicles made from skin cells deliver psoriasis drugs directly to immune cells. This approach calms inflammation and improves psoriatic symptoms by reprogramming dendritic cells (DCs).
Area of Science:
- Dermatology
- Immunology
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune skin disease driven by dendritic cells (DCs).
- Effective psoriasis treatment requires precise drug delivery to DCs.
- Calcipotriol (Cal) is an antipsoriatic agent with limited DC targeting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop keratinocyte-derived apoptotic vesicles (apoEVs) as nanovehicles for enhanced calcipotriol (Cal) delivery to DCs.
- To investigate the immunomodulatory effects of Cal-loaded apoEVs on DC function.
- To create a transdermal delivery system using microneedles (MNs) for Cal-apoEVs.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of apoEVs from keratinocytes.
- Loading of Cal into apoEVs.
- Integration of Cal-apoEVs into dissolvable microneedles (MNs).
- In vitro and in vivo assessment of DC reprogramming and therapeutic efficacy in a psoriasis model.
Main Results:
- ApoEVs effectively delivered Cal to DCs, mimicking natural efferocytosis.
- Cal-apoEVs reprogrammed DCs from a pro-inflammatory to a tolerogenic phenotype.
- Cal-apoEV MNs suppressed psoriatic inflammation and promoted regulatory T cell infiltration.
- The nanovehicle system remodeled the immune microenvironment toward a tolerogenic state.
Conclusions:
- Keratinocyte-derived apoEVs enhance Cal accumulation in DCs and synergistically modulate DC function.
- The Cal-apoEV MN system offers a promising strategy for treating immune-mediated skin diseases like psoriasis.
- This nanodelivery approach provides a novel therapeutic avenue for psoriatic patients.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Clinical Applications of Epidermal Stem Cells
Epidermal stem cells (EpiSCs) are mainly located at the basal layer of the epidermis. These cells repair minor injuries of the skin and replace dead skin cells. However, EpiSCs’ cannot heal severe wounds such as major burns or those from diabetes or hereditary disorders. In such cases, culturing the epidermal stem cells from the patient is possible and has yielded successful treatment options, such as laboratory-grown skin grafts. These grafts are synthesized using a patient’s own EpiSCs...
01:22iPS Cell Differentiation
The ability of induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs to differentiate into most body cell types has stimulated repair and regenerative medicine research over the past few decades. iPSC-derived blood cells, hepatocytes, beta islet cells, cardiomyocytes, neurons, and other cell types can repair injuries or regenerate damaged tissue in diseases such as diabetes and neurodegenerative disorders.
01:12Renewal of Skin Epidermal Stem Cells
The skin is divided into epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis, the skin's outermost, middle, and inner layers. The human epidermal layer regularly undergoes renewal, where old, dead cells are replaced by new cells. Epidermal stem cells or EpiSCs divide and differentiate to restore the lost cells. For the renewal process, some EpiSCs continuously self-renew. In contrast, few others differentiate into transit-amplifying cells, which later form prickle or spinous cells, followed by granular cells,...
01:24T Cell Types and Functions
When T cells with CD4 markers are activated, they give rise to two types of effector cells: helper T cells and regulatory T cells. Meanwhile, T cells with CD8 markers differentiate into effector cytotoxic T cells. The differentiation of CD4 T cells into helper T cell subsets, such as Th1, Th2, and Th17 cells, is dependent on the antigen type, antigen-presenting cell, and regulatory cytokines.
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
Th1 cells stimulate dendritic cells to express necessary co-stimulatory molecules on their surfaces for...
01:29Somatic to iPS Cell Reprogramming
Reprogramming alters the gene expression in somatic cells, transforming them into induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells over several generations. Scientists can reprogram cells by introducing genes for four transcription factors—Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (OSKM) by viral or non-viral methods. These factors are also known as Yamanaka factors after Shinya Yamanaka, who first generated iPS cells using mouse skin cells. Yamanaka was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2012 for this...
01:13Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore called induced pluripotent stem...