Artificial Exosomes as Targeted Drug Delivery Systems

Abstract

AbstractExosomes are biological extracellular vesicles that are released by both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Their size ranges between 40 and 160 nm, and their role, although not fully clarified yet, seems to be important for intracellular homeostasis and intercellular communication. As exosomes are enriched in a plethora of payloads, such as cytosolic or surface proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, their interaction with target cells has proved significant in the progression of many diseases. Cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, or immune pathological conditions are only some examples, where the effect of exosomes is studied, either as disease modulators or as powerful diagnostic tools. On the other hand, exosomes, due to their ability to deliver different types of information, have numerous advantages as drug delivery systems. These nanoplatforms are currently under preclinical and clinical evaluation for the therapy of many diseases, including the novel coronavirus disease. However, production, purification, and compliance with the good manufacturing practice (GMP) issues limit the wide clinical use of exosomes as therapeutic delivery systems. For this reason, the area of artificial exosomes is rapidly evolving. Novel nanosystems that mimic the functionality of exosomes but lack their disadvantages have started to be developed. The aim of this chapter is to present the recent work on the development approaches and the possible payloads of the artificial exosomes so that they can be utilized as safe and effective drug delivery nanosystems.KeywordsArtificial exosome Drug delivery system Nanomedicine Therapy