EVs as Potential New Therapeutic Tool/Target in Gastrointestinal Cancer and HCC

Abstract

For more than a decade, extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been in focus of science. Once thought to be an efficient way to eliminate undesirable cell content, EVs are now well-accepted as being an important alternative to cytokines and chemokines in cell-to-cell communication route. With their cargos, mainly consisting of functional proteins, lipids and nucleic acids, they can activate signalling cascades and thus change the phenotype of recipient cells at local and systemic levels. Their substantial role as modulators of various physiological and pathological processes is acknowledged. Importantly, more and more evidence arises that EVs play a pivotal role in many stages of carcinogenesis. Via EV-mediated communication, tumour cells can manipulate cells from host immune system or from the tumour microenvironment, and, ultimately, they promote tumour progression and modulate host immunity towards tumour’s favour. Additionally, the role of EVs in modulating resistance to pharmacological and radiological therapy of many cancer types has become evident lately. Our understanding of EV biology and their role in cancer promotion and drug resistance has evolved considerably in recent years. In this review, we specifically discuss the current knowledge on the association between EVs and gastrointestinal (GI) and liver cancers, including their potential for diagnosis and treatment.

The Biology and Function of Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer Development

“…Cell apoptosis and autophagy are programmed cell death, both of them are abnormal in cancers. Previous reports have indicated that EVs containing anti-tumor drugs can induce cell apoptosis in HCCs (Slomka et al, 2020). Furthermore, EVs containing miRNA mimics such as let-7a have been found to induce cell apoptosis in breast cancer (Ahmed et al, 2021).…”

The basic characteristics of extracellular vesicles and their potential application in bone sarcomas

“…EVs are widely found in organisms, and their biological functions are increasingly recognized [90,91]. As a natural communication medium between cells, EVs are expected to be used to treat a variety of clinical diseases based on this feature [11].…”

Extracellular Vesicles in Tumors: A Potential Mediator of Bone Metastasis

“…The lipids not only participate in the formation and maintenance of EV morphology but also participate in intercellular communication as signal molecules. These contents are transported to target cells via body fluids and are implicated in angiopoiesis and the occurrence, development, and metastasis of tumors ( Kalluri and LeBleu, 2020 ; Slomka et al, 2020 ; Zhao X. et al, 2020 ; Zhang Y. et al, 2020 ; Figure 1 ). Potential exosomal biomarkers and clinical targets are displayed in Table 1 .…”