A skin wound represents a rupture caused by external
damage or
the existence of underlying pathological conditions. Sometimes, skin
wound healing processes may place a heavy burden on patients, families,
and society. Wound healing processes mainly consist of several continuous,
dynamic, but overlapping stages, namely, the coagulation stage, inflammation
stage, proliferation stage, and remodeling stage. Bacterial infection,
excessive inflammation, impaired angiogenesis, and scar formation
constitute the four significant factors impeding the recovery efficacy
of skin wounds. This encourages scientists to develop multifunctional
nanomedicines to meet challenging needs. As we know, mesenchymal stem
cells (MSCs) have been widely explored for wound repair owing to their
unique capability for self-renewal and multipotency. However, problems
including immune concerns and legal restrictions should be properly
resolved before MSC-based therapeutics are safely and widely used
in clinics. Besides, maintaining the high viability/proliferation
capability of MSCs during administration processes and therapy procedures
is also one of the biggest technical bottlenecks. Extracellular vesicles
(EVs) are cell-derived nanovesicles, that not only possess the basic
characteristics and functions of their corresponding maternal cells
but also contain several outstanding advantages including abundant
sources, excellent biocompatibility, and convenient administration
routes. Furthermore, the membrane surface and cavity are easy to flexibly
modify to meet versatile application needs. Recently, MSC-derived
EVs have emerged as promising therapeutics for skin wound repair.
However, current reviews are too broad and rarely focused on the specific
roles of EVs in the different stages of wound recovery. Therefore,
it is quite necessary to demonstrate the significance of stem cell-derived
EVs in promoting wound healing from several specific aspects. Here,
this review primarily tries to provide critical comments on current
advances in EVs derived from MSCs for wound repair, particularly elaborating
on their impressive roles in effectively eliminating infections, inhibiting
inflammation, promoting angiogenesis, and reducing scar formation.
Last but not least, current limitations and future prospects of EVs
derived from MSCs in the areas of wound repair are also objectively
analyzed.