| Affiliation: | 1. Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang), The Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China
Cancer Center, The Affiliated Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China;2. Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA;3. The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China;4. Guangdong Key Laboratory for Research and Development of Natural Drugs, Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhanjiang), The Marine Biomedical Research Institute, Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, China |
| Abstract: | The exosome is a small functional vesicle enriched in selected proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, displaying distinct molecular heterogeneity. Exosomes released can transform the extracellular matrix microenvironments, transmit signals and molecules to recipient cells and trigger changes in their pathophysiological functions. Tumor-derived exosomes mediate the interactions of tumor cells and microenvironment significantly, and they stimulate tumor growth and development through specific signaling pathways related to metastasis, therapeutic resistance and immunosuppression. Exosome biogenesis from tumors often represents abundant biological information, and novel and efficient isolation and detection methods of exosomes provide a promising approach for tumor diagnosis and prognosis estimation. Moreover, exosome can even be developed as therapeutic agents for multiple disease models based on effective material transport characteristics and biofilm specificity. This review reports the clinical implications and challenges of exosomes in cancer progression, therapy resistance, metastasis and immune escape, and underlying cancerogenic pathological phenotypes including fibrosis and viral infection. |
