Dichotomy of exosomes in oral squamous cell carcinoma: Prey or play!

Abstract

Exosomes are nano-sized particles which belong to the family of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are produced in the endosomal compartment of those cells which mediate intercellular communication. These particles can be found abundantly in the biological body fluids such as urine, blood, saliva, cerebrospinal fluid and breast milk. These vesicles can transfer genetic materials such as the microRNAs, noncoding RNAs, DNA and lipids by means of direct or indirect cell-to-cell interaction. Consequently, there has been lot of growing interest related to cancer exosomes as biomarkers and as potential therapeutics. There are studies done which demonstrate the exosomes in relation to cancer, by targeting specific cells and also promote the tumor progression. The other part of the spectrum has stressed the importance of exosomes stability and its potential role in targeting cancer cells through drug delivery system of anticancer molecules. The dichotomy allied with exosomes and their role in oral squamous cell carcinoma biomarkers or as therapy enhancement will be highlighted.

Role of exosomes in the development, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

“…In addition, tumor-derived exosomes not only reflect the molecular characteristics and phenotype of tumor origin but also the molecules transferred from exosomes are protected from degradation by a double layer of lipids to reflect the disease progression in real-time (Vanni et al 2017 ). Detection of specific proteins in exosomes is highly sensitive and non-invasive compared to other methods (Keerthikumar et al 2016 ; Shwetha and Smitha 2019 ). Many studies are focusing on the diagnostic role of exosomes in hepatocytes.…”

miR-365 (microRNA): Potential Biomarker in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Exosomes and Extracellular Vesicles

“…A greater understanding of the basic biology and role of exosomes and microRNAs in oral cancer is needed for both clinical cancer detection and treatment decisions. The elucidation and cataloguing of which microRNAs are produced and exported would advance this understanding [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. Based on this information, our specific research question was to evaluate whether oral cancers produce exosomes or extracellular vesicles containing miR-365.…”