Abstract
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted in biological fluids contain several transcripts of the cell of origin, which may modify the functions and phenotype of proximal and distant cells. Cancer-derived EVs may promote a favorable microenvironment for cancer growth and invasion by acting on stroma and endothelial cells and may favor metastasis formation. The transcripts contained in cancer EVs may be exploited as biomarkers. Protein and extracellular RNA (exRNA) profiling in patient bio-fluids, such as blood and urine, was performed to identify molecular features with potential diagnostic and prognostic values. EVs are concentrated in saliva, and salivary EVs are particularly enriched in exRNAs. Several studies were focused on salivary EVs for the detection of biomarkers either of non-oral or oral cancers. The present paper provides an overview of the available studies on the diagnostic potential of exRNA profiling in salivary EVs.
Highlights
The aim of liquid biopsy is to identify biomarkers with diagnostic, predictive and prognostic values in bio-fluids, to avoid more invasive approaches
Several studies have shown a prominent role of extracellular RNA (exRNA) associated with vesicles
extracellular vesicles (EVs) of non-oral cancers may either depend on their derivation from blood or be the consequence of phenotypic changes occurring in gland cells
Summary
The aim of liquid biopsy is to identify biomarkers with diagnostic, predictive and prognostic values in bio-fluids, to avoid more invasive approaches. Researchers focused on different types of biomarkers, including proteins, circulating DNA fragments and cells, and extracellular RNAs (exRNAs). ExRNAs are more sensitive and specific biomarkers than proteins and better reflect the cell dynamic than DNA does [1]. Several limitations in the use of exRNA as biomarkers still remain, related to their heterogeneity, the incomplete definition of their multiple targets and functions, and their stability in different biological fluids [2]. Different types of RNA biomarkers have been considered in cancer. Differential mRNA expression profiles may reflect the positive and negative regulation of tumor-associated genes in several cancers and may provide suitable biomarkers for monitoring the clinical outcome of patients [3,4,5]. Non-coding RNAs, such as microRNAs (miRNAs), piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA), small nucleolar RNA (snoRNA), circular
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