Exosomes: Emerging Diagnostic and Therapeutic Targets in Cutaneous Diseases

Abstract

Skin is the largest human organ and is continuously exposed to various exogenous and endogenous trigger factors affecting body homeostasis. A number of mechanisms, including genetic, inflammatory and autoimmune ones, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cutaneous diseases. Recently, there has been considerable interest in the role that extracellular vesicles, particularly exosomes, play in human diseases, through their modulation of multiple signaling pathways. Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles secreted by all cell types. They function as cargo carriers shuttling proteins, nucleic acids, lipids etc., thus impacting the cell-cell communications and transfer of vital information/moieties critical for skin homeostasis and disease pathogenesis. This review summarizes the available knowledge on how exosomes affect pathogenesis of cutaneous diseases, and highlights their potential as future targets for the therapy of various skin diseases.

Exosomal miR-2276-5p in Plasma Is a Potential Diagnostic and Prognostic Biomarker in Glioma

“…Exosomes are 40–150 nm small extracellular vesicles, which are involved in the regulation of cellular microenvironment. They carry cargo such as RNA (including mRNAs, microRNAs, and non-coding RNAs), DNA, protein, and lipids to facilitate communications between cancer cells ( Jeppesen et al, 2019 ; Khan et al, 2020 ). During the past several years, there have been many reports on miRNAs in glioma.…”

Extracellular Vesicles: Emerging Therapeutics in Cutaneous Lesions

“…6,55 More specifically, keratinocytes which are the main components of the epidermis, can also release EVs and regulate skin homeostasis, including immune responses and wound healing. 11,[62][63][64] Emerging evidence also suggests that miRNAs participate in the progression of immune diseases. 59,65 Notably, EVs contain a large amount of miRNA cargo and were proven to be immunologically active and their levels were associated with disease activity in patients suffering from inflammatory skin diseases.…”

“…110 Briefly, cancer cells actively release EVs which convey bioinformation (such as miRNA and proteins) to neighboring cancer cells or benign cells, thus mediating protumor processes such as angiogenesis, immune regulation and modification of tissue microenvironments, contributing to the development and metastasis of cancer. 11,58,110 Several studies have also shown that various miRNAs and proteins involved in cell growth, development, migration, metastasis and apoptosis are highly expressed in EVs released from melanoma cells. [117][118][119][120] In addition to melanoma, Tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) are also involved in cancer initiation, invasion and progression, therapeutic application and resistance to treatment.…”

“…7,10 Most of the skin cells mentioned above have been reported to release EVs involved in intercellular communication in the skin. 5,11 For instance, keratinocytes which make up 90% of the cells in the epidermis, can communicate with other skin cells such as fibroblasts, melanocytes and immune cells through EVs. 12,13 It was also reported that keratinocyte-EVs can stimulate the expression of metalloproteinase-1 (MMP1) in dermal fibroblasts to modify the ECM.…”

Extracellular Vesicles as Potential Theranostic Platforms for Skin Diseases and Aging

“…Hence, EVs are crucial in terms of initiating and propagating the inflammation in psoriasis. Emerging evidence highlights the immunologic role of IL-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine secreted from T helper 17 cells (T h 17 cells) [13]. Levels of IL-17α in EVs of dermal dendritic cells (DCs) were correlated with the severity of the disease symptoms [14].…”