Exosomes and Their Noncoding RNA Cargo Are Emerging as New Modulators for Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes belongs to a group of metabolic disorders characterized by long term high blood glucose levels due to either inadequate production of insulin (Type 1 diabetes, T1DM) or poor response of the recipient cell to insulin (Type 2 diabetes, T2DM). Organ dysfunctions are the main causes of morbidity and mortality due to high glucose levels. Understanding the mechanisms of organ crosstalk may help us improve our basic knowledge and find novel strategies to better treat the disease. Exosomes are part of a newly emerged research area and have attracted a great deal of attention for their capacity to regulate communications between cells. In conditions of diabetes, exosomes play important roles in the pathological processes in both T1DM and T2DM, such as connecting the immune cell response to pancreatic tissue injury, as well as adipocyte stimulation to insulin resistance of skeletal muscle or liver. Furthermore, in recent years, nucleic acids containing exosomes—especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)—have been shown to mainly regulate communications between organs in pathological processes of diabetes, including influencing metabolic signals and insulin signals in target tissues, affecting cell viability, and modulating inflammatory pancreatic cells. Moreover, exosome miRNAs show promise in their use as biomarkers or in treatments for diabetes and diabetic complications. Thus, this paper summarizes the recent work on exosomes related to diabetes as well as the roles of exosomal miRNAs and lncRNAs in diabetic pathology and diagnosis in order to help us better understand the exact roles of exosomes in diabetes development.

miR-657 Promotes Macrophage Polarization toward M1 by Targeting FAM46C in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

“…Accumulating studies have suggested miRNAs are closely related to glycometabolic disorders including GDM by regulating placental immunity, pancreatic β cell functions, insulin sensitivity, and insulin resistance [14][15][16]. Circulating miRNAs contributing to tissue cross-talk have also been identified as potential biomarkers for GDM [17].…”

Extracellular Vesicles as an Efficient and Versatile System for Drug Delivery

“…The most studied among them are microRNAs, given the well-known regulatory role of microRNAs and their abundance in EVs [ 133 ]. EVs-associated microRNAs function through post-transcriptional regulation of genes in the recipient cells upon uptake, which has been documented in cancers [ 133 ], viral infections [ 134 ], diabetes [ 135 ], and other diseases. Researchers are now considering to use the differential profiles of RNAs, especially microRNAs, in EVs as novel disease biomarkers [ 136 ].…”

circRNAs Signature as Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker for Diabetes Mellitus and Related Cardiovascular Complications

“…Thus, until further experimental and full clinical validation yield clean evidence of the biological role of circRNAs, the existing data should be viewed as preliminary and interpreted with caution. (v) The cell-and tissue-specific patterns of circRNAs, as well as their enhanced stability in liquid biopsy and exosomes [106], make them promising next-generation antidiabetic treatments. However, many aspects of circRNAs biology are still enigmatic.…”