Summary of the necessity of the project

Despite significant advances in regenerative medicine for wound healing and skin lesions, especially in the sensitive areas of the face and neck, the treatment of chronic wounds such as diabetic ulcers remains a major challenge. Wounds in the facial and cervical regions are of greater importance due to the vital role of these areas in aesthetics and essential functions such as speech, nutrition, and vision, where any scarring can result in serious psychological and clinical complications. Current treatments, including the use of growth factors and cytokines, may accelerate wound healing; however, they are costly and may cause undesirable side effects such as immune reactions and inflammation. Similarly, the direct use of stem cells carries risks of immune rejection and adverse responses. In contrast, extracellular vesicles derived from stem cells, due to their small size, bioactive contents, and ability to transfer cellular signals, can act as effective mediators in accelerating wound healing without triggering immune reactions. Bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cell extracellular vesicles (hBM-MSC-Ex) have shown high potential in modulating tissue regeneration processes. On the other hand, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs), with their ability to accelerate tissue regeneration, reduce inflammation, enhance collagen production, high biocompatibility, and antioxidant properties, may further strengthen the reparative effects of these vesicles. Nevertheless, the impact of combining ZnO nanoparticles with vesicles on the expression of key genes involved in skin repair has not yet been fully elucidated. The findings of this study could serve as an effective step toward developing novel regenerative medicine–based and combination therapies for the reconstruction of skin lesions in the face and neck. By investigating the effect of hBM-MSC-Ex in the presence of ZnO NPs on the relative expression of VEGF, EGF, PDGF, and DDR1—as key genes in angiogenesis, cell proliferation, and epithelial and extracellular matrix regeneration—using Real-Time PCR, this research proposes a new therapeutic approach to overcoming the limitations of current wound-healing strategies.

Project Manager: Dr. Zahra Azizi
Start Year: 2025