Extracellular vesicles: a rising star for therapeutics and drug delivery

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano-sized, natural, cell-derived vesicles that contain the same nucleic acids, proteins, and lipids as their source cells. Thus, they can serve as natural carriers for therapeutic agents and drugs, and have many advantages over conventional nanocarriers, including their low immunogenicity, good biocompatibility, natural blood–brain barrier penetration, and capacity for gene delivery. This review first introduces the classification of EVs and then discusses several currently popular methods for isolating and purifying EVs, EVs-mediated drug delivery, and the functionalization of EVs as carriers. Thereby, it provides new avenues for the development of EVs-based therapeutic strategies in different fields of medicine. Finally, it highlights some challenges and future perspectives with regard to the clinical application of EVs. Graphical Abstract

Research Advances of Engineered Exosomes as Drug Delivery Carrier

“…Compared to chemical modification methods, gene modification acts on exosomes before their biogenesis, which preserves the integrity and functionality of the exosomes . However, this method is complex, costly, has low reproducibility, and insufficient transfection efficiency remains a concern . The mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages of different engineered exosomes strategies are listed in Table .…”

“…100 However, this method is complex, costly, has low reproducibility, and insufficient transfection efficiency remains a concern. 101 The mechanisms, advantages and disadvantages of different engineered exosomes strategies are listed in Table 1.…”

Human plasma derived exosomes: Impact of active and passive drug loading approaches on drug delivery

“…These drug delivery systems are biocompatible and possess low immunogenicity ( Qin and Xu, 2014 , Ha et al, 2016 ). They provide enhanced stability and protection for drugs, improve drug solubility and prolong circulation time ( Clemmens and Lambert, 2018 , Du et al, 2023 ). Exosomes can be sourced from various types of stem cells on the one hand and different body fluids including plasma on the other hand ( Lopez-Verrilli et al, 2016 ).…”

Unveiling the Potential of Extracellular Vesicles as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Nanotools for Gastrointestinal Diseases

“…These innovative perspectives extend to the treatment of GIDs, capitalizing on EVs capability to cross physiological barriers and deliver therapeutic payloads to the target tissues. In contrast to synthetic nanoparticles, which often provoke adverse immunological reactions such as cytokine release syndrome, cross-reactivity with endogenous proteins, anaphylaxis, the neutralization of biological activity, and non-acute immune responses, EVs derived from both human and non-human cells are distinguished by their high biocompatibility, stability, very low immunogenicity, and overall safety profile [ 21 , 22 , 23 ]. These findings support the idea of utilizing EVs as drug carriers, emphasizing their potential safety and biocompatibility.…”