Hypericum perforatum-derived exosomes-like nanovesicles: A novel natural photosensitizer for effective tumor photodynamic therapy

Natural photosensitizers have been a focus of investigation for their potential application in photodynamic therapy (PDT). Plant-derived exosome-like nanovesicles offer valuable molecular insights as a novel photosensitizer. Recently, we presented Hypericum perforatum-derived exosome-like nanovesicles (HPDENs) that exhibit characteristics of both Type I and Type II photosensitizers. Clinical studies suggest that PDT can alleviate inflammation and enhance skin conditions in psoriasis through promoting apoptosis in affected cells. We examined the effect of HPDENs on the skin lesions in a IMQ-induced psoriasis mice model. In this study, we demonstrate that HPDENs largely reversed IMQ-induced increase in PASI scores upon light irradiation. Furthermore, HPDENs exhibit cellular uptake in diseased keratinocytes and promote apoptosis and oxidative stress in vivo. Importantly, HPDENs enable remarkable therapeutic effects against psoriasis-like skin lesions and related inflammation without observable organ damage. Overall, our HPDENs-PDT represents a promising strategy for treating psoriasis.