Dysregulated Repair in Aging and Disease: Extracellular Vesicles as an Emerging Protective Strategy

Abstract

Tissue repair is a finely organized process that progresses via a series of phases, including hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, which are coordinated by immune–stromal interactions. Aging profoundly dysregulates these processes through mechanisms such as immunosenescence and inflammaging, cellular senescence, chronic inflammation, and extracellular matrix alterations, ultimately contributing to typical age-related progression. This review discusses the immune mechanisms that govern physiological tissue healing, as well as the age-related perturbations that lead to ulcerative and fibrotic diseases. It also highlights the potential application of extracellular vesicles (EVs), both mammalian and plant-derived, as a stable and low-immunogenicity mediator to modulate and re-establish repair homeostasis. Translational hurdles such as EV standardization, dosing, safety assessment, and manufacturing are critically discussed to promote their use in geroscience, regenerative medicine, and dermatology.