Journal article
Cell derived nanovesicles for oral and craniofacial tissue regeneration
Nanoscale
04/30/2026
DOI: 10.1039/d6nr00456c
PMID: 42065569
Abstract
Oral and craniofacial diseases represent a significant global public health concern, profoundly impacting patient quality of life and imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden. While cell-based, particularly stem cell-based, regenerative strategies have shown promise in addressing the limitations of conventional therapies, they are also constrained by inherent challenges associated with cell therapy. Instead of relying on whole cells, cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs), which inherit diverse biological functions from their parent cells, have emerged as a promising frontier in regenerative medicine. CDNs play a pivotal role in restoring microenvironmental homeostasis and modulating inflammation, thereby promoting angiogenesis and osteogenesis to support effective tissue regeneration. Furthermore, the therapeutic efficacy of CDNs can be enhanced through cell pretreatment and bioengineering strategies, such as cargo loading and surface modification. Owing to their ability to penetrate biological barriers, exhibit prolonged circulation, and achieve tissue-specific targeting, CDNs represent an advantageous drug delivery platform. Indeed, the development of engineered CDNs and hybrid composite systems has yielded excellent therapeutic outcomes by enhancing the precision and efficiency of drug delivery. This review systematically categorizes four major classes of CDNs, including exosomes (Exos), exosome mimetics (EMs), cell membrane nanovesicles (mNVs), and apoptotic extracellular vesicles (ApoEVs), evaluating their roles in treating craniofacial bone defects, osteoporosis, periodontitis, and dentin–pulp complex regeneration. Finally, we highlight the clinical potential of CDN-based therapies and outline future research directions for their application in oral and craniofacial tissue regeneration. Oral and craniofacial diseases represent a significant global public health concern, profoundly impacting patient quality of life and imposing a substantial socioeconomic burden. Created in BioRender. Zhong, L. (2026) https://BioRender.com/v0qghgu.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Cell derived nanovesicles for oral and craniofacial tissue regeneration
- Creators
- Linna Zhong - University of IowaJeffrey S. Marschall - University of IowaKyungsup Shin - University of IowaHongli Sun - University of Iowa
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Nanoscale
- DOI
- 10.1039/d6nr00456c
- PMID
- 42065569
- ISSN
- 2040-3364
- eISSN
- 2040-3372
- Publisher
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Grant note
- University of Iowa: Unassigned National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research: R01DE029159, R21DE033019
This work was supported by the startup funds from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University of Iowa College of Dentistry, the Interdisciplinary Scholars grant from the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR), and the Mid-Career Faculty Scholar Award from the University of Iowa, the National Institute of Dental & Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health under the award numbers R01DE029159 (H. S.) and R21DE033019 (H. S). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of J. Michael Tilley for proofreading and editing the manuscript.
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 04/30/2026
- Academic Unit
- Roy J. Carver Department of Biomedical Engineering; Orthodontics; Craniofacial Anomalies Research Center; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
- Record Identifier
- 9985157523002771
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