Life sciences · Journal article

Biomaterial-based extracellular vesicle delivery systems for wound healing: From fabrication to applications.

Bioactive Materials · August 5, 2026

Expert Guidance Why this matters to you Expert discussion

A consensus or society position rather than new primary data.

AI Summary

This is a comprehensive narrative review of biomaterial-based extracellular vesicle (EV) delivery platforms for wound healing, covering fabrication strategies, release mechanisms, and clinical applications across multiple wound types. It synthesizes existing preclinical and early clinical evidence to present a state-of-the-art overview of an emerging therapeutic strategy, but does not report new primary data or comparative efficacy evidence.

What was studied

Narrative review article with bibliometric analysis. Literature-based; encompasses studies of extracellular vesicles in wound healing applications across mammalian-derived, bacterial-derived, and plant-derived EV sources applied to diabetic wounds, infected trauma, burn damage, radiation-induced injuries, and other skin wounds. Intervention: Biomaterial-based extracellular vesicle delivery systems in various forms (nanocomposites, hydrogels, microneedle patches, electrospun membranes, 3D-printed scaffolds, microspheres, sponges). Data from Web of Science Core Collection Database, global literature to December 5, 2025.

Key findings

Bibliometric analysis identified 21,523 publications on exosomes or extracellular vesicles and wound in Web of Science Core Collection Database EVs exhibit multiple biological functions in skin wound repair including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neovascularization, re-epithelialization, and hair follicle growth promotion Major challenge identified: rapid clearance and short retention time of EVs at wound sites, addressed by combining EVs with biomaterial delivery systems

Safety

No data on clinical trial outcomes, adverse events, or translational status to human use

Who this may help

This review provides clinicians and researchers with a comprehensive framework for understanding how biomaterial-engineered EV delivery systems can overcome obstacles to direct EV application in wound healing. It suggests multiple therapeutic pathways (anti-inflammatory, pro-angiogenic, antioxidant) but does not provide level-1 evidence for clinical implementation; readers should treat this as a synthesis of emerging approaches requiring further clinical validation.

Plain-language summary

This is a comprehensive review article synthesizing current knowledge on biomaterial-based extracellular vesicle delivery systems for wound healing, presenting fabrication strategies, release mechanisms, and applications rather than reporting primary experimental evidence.

Study design

As stated by the source record.

MethodsA bibliometric analysis was performed using VOSviewer software on literature retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection Database, searching terms 'exosome' or 'extracellular vesicle' and 'wound'. From 27,027 extracted keywords, 309 terms occurring at least 30 times were identified and clustered into five major thematic groups. The review synthesizes fabrication strategies, release mechanisms, and applications of EV-loaded biomaterials across diverse wound types.

DesignNarrative review article with bibliometric analysis

PopulationLiterature-based; encompasses studies of extracellular vesicles in wound healing applications across mammalian-derived, bacterial-derived, and plant-derived EV sources applied to diabetic wounds, infected trauma, burn damage, radiation-induced injuries, and other skin wounds

InterventionBiomaterial-based extracellular vesicle delivery systems in various forms (nanocomposites, hydrogels, microneedle patches, electrospun membranes, 3D-printed scaffolds, microspheres, sponges)

SettingData from Web of Science Core Collection Database, global literature to December 5, 2025

Reported figures

Quoted from the source exactly as published.

Keywords identified at minimum frequency309 terms occurred at least 30 times

Clinical bottom line

Caveats

No primary experimental or clinical trial data reported; all findings are from aggregation of previously published work
No quantitative meta-analysis or systematic comparison of efficacy across different biomaterial platforms or wound types
No data on clinical trial outcomes, adverse events, or translational status to human use
Bibliometric analysis captures publication trends but does not assess quality or strength of evidence in underlying studies

Evidence assessment

Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.

Study design

insufficient

Review article synthesizing existing literature; no primary experimental design.

Directness

moderate

Addresses wound healing applications but aggregates diverse evidence across multiple platforms.

Consistency

moderate

Summarizes consistent themes across EV-biomaterial systems but does not meta-analytically assess conflict.

Risk of bias

insufficient

No bias assessment reported; review of secondary sources without quality grading.

Sample adequacy

insufficient

Narrative synthesis of 21,523 publications; primary studies cited but not quantitatively analysed.

Source abstract

Skin damage, especially chronic wounds, imposes a significant clinical burden due to the associated risks of disability and death. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have received extensive attention due to their potential in wound healing. However, the rapid clearance and short retention time of EVs at wound sites hinder the optimal therapeutic effects. The latest advancements in biomaterial delivery systems have spurred the rapid development of engineered EV delivery systems. These biomaterials can not only prolong the localization and stability of EVs in wounds, but also provide structural and biochemical support for cell growth and tissue regeneration. This review provides a comprehensive overview of EVs and the fabrication strategies of EV delivery systems with diverse application forms. The release mechanisms, release profiles, mathematical kinetic models of EVs from biomaterials are also discussed. The application of these EV-loaded biomaterials in treating various types of wounds is also summarized and discussed. Finally, current challenges and future directions in EV-based wound treatment are proposed. Unlike previous reviews that focused separately on the biology of EVs or biomaterials as wound dressings, this review presents a comprehensive summary of the fabrication strategies and applications of advanced biomaterial-based EV delivery platforms for wound healing.

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Taken from the source record, never inferred. Follow any of these and new work involving them reaches your briefing.

Cuiping ZhangZhiliang ZhaoLige TianShengnan CuiShengqiu ChenXi Liu