Exosome- based technologies as a platform for diagnosis and treatment of male and female infertility-related diseases

Abstract

Nowadays, infertility related diseases become one of the basic challenges in societies. Human fertilization and fetal development are one of the most complex biological process, influenced by various factors, such as exosomes. Exosomes are Nano-sized bilayer-lipid membrane vesicles that play a role in mediating cell to cell communication in the reproductive system by serving as carriers of different biomolecules. Alterations in exosomes number and contents also can be seen in different male and female reproductive diseases in animals and human cases. These nanoparticles have great potential to become a large-scale therapeutic platform in the field of regenerative medicine. Diagnostic and therapeutic properties of exosomes have opened new windows of hope for using these compounds in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, especially pregnancy disorders. Various methods including direct injection, intravenous injection, intraperitoneal injection, oral administration, and hydrogel-based encapsulation for targeted delivery of exosomes have been investigated in different disease models. The most recent advances in the development of exosome-functionalized biomaterials that mediate enhanced preservation exosome bioactivity and controlled release, have been presented. This review highlights the potential medical applications of exosomes with emphasis on diagnostic and therapeutic effects of exosomes on male and female reproductive system related diseases. In addition, the advantages of the biomaterial-based exosome delivery systems have been examined in this review.