The Biological Function and Therapeutic Potential of Exosomes in Cancer: Exosomes as Efficient Nanocommunicators for Cancer Therapy.

Jeong Uk Choi,Seung Rim Hwang,In-Kyu Park,Yong-Kyu Lee

doi:10.3390/ijms21197363

Abstract

Cancer therapeutics must be delivered to their targets for improving efficacy and reducing toxicity, though they encounter physiological barriers in the tumor microenvironment. They also face limitations associated with genetic instability and dynamic changes of surface proteins in cancer cells. Nanosized exosomes generated from the endosomal compartment, however, transfer their cargo to the recipient cells and mediate the intercellular communication, which affects malignancy progression, tumor immunity, and chemoresistance. In this review, we give an overview of exosomes’ biological aspects and therapeutic potential as diagnostic biomarkers and drug delivery vehicles for oncotherapy. Furthermore, we discuss whether exosomes could contribute to personalized cancer immunotherapy drug design as efficient nanocommunicators.

Highlights

Oncology drugs constitute the largest therapeutics section approved by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, a division of the United States Food and Drug Administration [1]
We aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the biological aspects and potential therapeutic applications of exosomes in cancer
B cells are required to boost antitumor immunity, suggesting that epitopes, which activate B cells, are needed for a successful derived exosomes (DEXs) vaccine [152,153]. These results provide a rationale for utilizing personalized protein antigens as cargo in DEX vaccines

Summary

Introduction

Oncology drugs constitute the largest therapeutics section approved by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, a division of the United States Food and Drug Administration [1]. An early diagnosis of cancer via timely screening using liquid biopsy tools such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) or circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) as well as extracellular vesicles (EVs) has received attention, and the survival rate of cancer patients has increased with the development of treatment strategies [3,4]. Anticancer drug approval trends have changed since cancer chemotherapeutic agents were first developed in the 1940s. Cancer cells even evade anticancer drugs by mediating a cellular efflux of drugs or by reducing target gene expression. They receive external signals and transmit signals to form new blood vessels in cancer tissues. EVs secreted by cancer cells transfer signals for cancer progression and metastasis [5]

Objectives

Methods

Findings

Conclusion