Extracellular vesicles as biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid membrane vesicles that are secreted from almost all kinds of cells into the extracellular space. EVs are widely accepted to be involved in various cellular processes; in particular, EVs derived from cancer cells have been reported to play important roles in modifying the tumor microenvironment and promoting tumor progression. In addition, EVs derived from cancer cells encapsulate various kinds of tumor-specific molecules, such as proteins and RNAs, which contribute to cancer malignancy. Therefore, the unveiling of the precise mechanism of intercellular communication via EVs in cancer patients will provide a novel strategy for cancer treatment. Furthermore, a focus on the contents of EVs could promote the use of EVs in body fluids as clinically useful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. In this review, we summarize the current research knowledge on EVs as biomarkers and therapeutic targets and discuss their potential clinical applications.

Extracellular Vesicles as Signaling Mediators and Disease Biomarkers across Biological Barriers

“…Being found in different body fluids (blood, urine, bile, bronchoalveolar fluid, saliva), EVs dynamically reflect the status of the disease, by carrying a specific cargo, which stem from the related parental cell and that consist of proteins, miRNAs, mRNAs, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and lipids. Therefore, EVs are excellent candidates as a source of biomarkers [104][105][106]. It has been demonstrated that EV cargoes, reflecting the pathophysiological characteristics of the cell of origin, result in much more specific than the biofluid where they circulate, given that the latter contains contain less-relevant molecules [107].…”

Extracellular Vesicles in the Development of Cancer Therapeutics

“…Given the growing evidence of sEVs’ involvement in cancer progression, several strategies have been tested or envisioned to target various steps of the sEVs signaling in order to block their tumor promoting effect. These include targeting cancer sEV biogenesis and release, blocking sEV uptake by recipient cells, eliminating circulating cancer sEVs, and removing specific components from sEVs that contribute to cancer pathogenesis [ 68 , 69 , 70 ].…”

Exosome in Hepatocellular Carcinoma: an update

“…In general, both vesicle type and source cell type affect the lipid composition. The diverse content of exosomal lipids makes them an excellent source of noninvasive biomarkers [26]. Due to the high stability of the exosomal membrane, it is easier to measure lipids present on the outside of the exosomes than protein and nucleic acid.…”