Extracellular Vesicles: The Next Generation Theranostic Nanomedicine for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract

The recent rapid development in the field of extracellular vesicles (EVs) based nanotechnology has provided unprecedented opportunities for nanomedicine platforms. As natural nanocarriers, EVs such as exosomes, exosome-like nanoparticles and outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), have unique structure/composition/morphology characteristics, and show excellent physical and chemical/biochemical properties, making them a new generation of theranostic nanomedicine. Here, we reviewed the characteristics of EVs from the perspective of their formation and biological function in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Moreover, EVs can crucially participate in the interaction and communication of intestinal epithelial cells (IECs)-immune cells-gut microbiota to regulate immune response, intestinal inflammation and intestinal homeostasis. Interestingly, based on current representative examples in the field of exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles for IBD treatment, it is shown that plant, milk, and cells-derived exosomes and exosomelike nanoparticles can exert a therapeutic effect through their components, such as proteins, nucleic acid, and lipids. Moreover, several drug loading methods and target modification of exosomes are used to improve their therapeutic capability. We also discussed the application of exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles in the treatment of IBD. In this review, we aim to better and more clearly clarify the underlying mechanisms of the EVs in the pathogenesis of IBD, and provide directions of exosomes and exosome-like nanoparticles mediated for IBD treatment.

Effect of Extracelluar Vesicles Derived from Akkermansia muciniphila on Intestinal Barrier in Colitis Mice

“…This ultimately causes intestinal inflammation. BEVs play essential roles in immune regulation and the protection of gut barrier integrity [42].…”

Protein and Lipid Content of Milk Extracellular Vesicles: A Comparative Overview

“…In fact, several studies have reported that milk EVs enhance the intestinal epithelial barrier function by inducing cell proliferation and production of mucin [ 36 ]. Moreover, in intestinal inflammatory disorder models, the administration of milk EVs has shown the ability to modulate inflammation [ 37 ] and promote anti-viral activity towards several viruses, namely HIV and CMV [ 38 , 39 ]. For this reason, milk EVs have been proposed as therapeutic agents for intestinal inflammation and intestinal tissue repair [ 37 ].…”

“…Moreover, in intestinal inflammatory disorder models, the administration of milk EVs has shown the ability to modulate inflammation [ 37 ] and promote anti-viral activity towards several viruses, namely HIV and CMV [ 38 , 39 ]. For this reason, milk EVs have been proposed as therapeutic agents for intestinal inflammation and intestinal tissue repair [ 37 ]. In addition, the composition of milk EVs is influenced by the maternal health condition, as it has been reported that several disorders can affect milk EV composition, such as maternal stress, infection, obesity, or diabetes [ 21 ].…”

Emerging role of bacterial outer membrane vesicle in gastrointestinal tract

“…In recent years, mounting evidence has confirmed that bacteria can secrete EVs as phages, antibiotics, and eukaryotic host defense actors [ 7 , 8 ]. Additionally, EVs play crucial roles in intercellular communication, virulence factor transport, horizontal gene transfer (HGT), nutrient and electron transport, and biofilm formation [ 9 – 11 ]. Detecting bacterial EVs enables us to understand the composition of intestinal flora and aid in diagnosis.…”