ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Molecular and Cellular Pathology
The effectiveness and potential regulatory mechanism of Blumea balsamifera derived extracellular vesicles in promoting burn wound healing
Lei Chen 1
Linli Jiang 1
Xue Han 1
Rui Zhang 1
Fengping Zhao 1
Gengqi Fan 1
月平 李 1
Wei Han 1
Wenyuan Chen 1,2
Xiaolan Chen 1
1. Guizhou University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guiyang, China
2. Bijie Medical College, Bijie, China
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Abstract
B. balsamifera is a medicinal plant traditionally used for burn treatment in Chinese folk medicine. Although B. balsamifera oil promotes wound healing, its clinical application is limited by volatility and skin irritation. Plant-derived extracellular vesicles, characterized by excellent biocompatibility, low irritancy, and ease of formulation, represent a promising alternative for wound therapy. In this study, we isolated exosome-like nanoparticles from B. balsamifera (B. balsamifera-derived extracellular vesicles, BB-DEVs) as a biocompatible nanoplatform and investigated their role and mechanism in burn healing. BB-DEVs were successfully isolated by differential centrifugation, exhibiting an appropriate size distribution and morphology. GC–MS analysis identified 95 components, including terpenes, terpenoids, fatty acids and derivatives, and aromatic compounds. miRNA sequencing of BB-DEVs and B. balsamifera leaves revealed differentially expressed miRNAs, whose potential cross-kingdom human gene targets were predicted. Network pharmacology analysis further intersected these targets with known burn-related genes. KEGG enrichment indicated significant involvement of the PI3K–Akt pathway (P< 0.01). In vitro and in vivo experiments confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect of BB-DEVs, which significantly reduced the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α and increased the level of IL-10. Western blot analysis confirmed elevated phosphorylation levels of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR proteins. Our study reveals the potential of BB-DEVs in promoting burn wound healing.
Summary
Keywords
anti-inflammatory, Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC, Burns, PI3K / AKT / mTOR signaling pathway, plant-derived extracellular vesicles
Received
29 November 2025
Accepted
20 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Chen, Jiang, Han, Zhang, Zhao, Fan, 李, Han, Chen and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Wenyuan Chen; Xiaolan Chen
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