Background: The human oral cavity harbors a diverse microbiota, including Streptococcus species. Oral mucosal wounds heal rapidly, although the exact cause remains unclear. This study investigates the impact of Streptococcus mutans-derived extracellular vesicles (Sm EVs) on wound healing in both oral mucosal organoids and mouse skin. To explore whether microbial EV RNA cargo influences wound healing, RNA sequences from Sm EVs were identified, and the most abundant sequences were synthesized into oligomers and encapsulated in E. coli EVs (Ec EVs) for further in vivo testing. We assessed the role of Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) in the wound healing mechanism in TLR3 knockout (KO) mice.
Results: Sm EVs significantly enhanced cell proliferation and migration in oral mucosa, with enhanced focal adhesion complex formation. Sm EVs improved wound healing in mouse dorsal skin compared to PBS controls. RNA sequencing revealed that bacterial tRNAs, particularly the tRNA-Met variant (Oligo 1), were the most abundant RNAs in Sm EVs. Ec EVs carrying Oligo 1 produced similar wound healing effects to Sm EVs in mucosal organoids and mouse dorsal skin. However, in TLR3 knockout mice, Oligo 1 did not improve wound healing.
Conclusions: This study highlights the role of Sm EVs, particularly their tRNA variants, in promoting skin wound healing through a TLR3-dependent mechanism. These findings suggest that EVs from oral commensal bacteria may offer therapeutic potential for chronic, non-healing skin wounds.
Keywords: Streptococcus mutans; Bacterial tRNA; Extracellular vesicles; Oral mucosa; Skin wound healing; TLR3.
© 2025. The Author(s).