Targeting dendritic cells for the treatment of autoimmune disorders

Exosomes as Theranostic Agents in Reproduction System

Exosomes (Exos), belonging to extracellular vesicles, are cell-derived nano-sized vesicles with the potential to carry different kinds of biological molecules. Many studies have proved the impacts of exosomal cargo on several biological processes in female and male reproductive systems. It is also hypothesized that changes in exosomal cargo are integral to the promotion of certain pathological conditions, thus Exos can be used as valid biomarkers for the diagnosis of infertility and other abnormal conditions. Here, efforts are made to collect some recent data related to the physiological significance of Exos in the reproductive system, and their potential therapeutic effects. It is anticipated that the current review article will lay the groundwork for elucidating the source and mechanisms by which Exos control the reproductive system additionally supplying fresh methods and concepts for the detection and treatment of disorders associated with fertility for future studies.

Engineered EVs designed to target diseases of the CNS

Diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) are challenging to treat, mainly due to the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which restricts drugs in circulation from entering target regions in the brain. To address this issue extracellular vesicles (EVs) have gained increasing scientific interest as carriers able to cross the BBB with multiplex cargos. EVs are secreted by virtually every cell, and their escorted biomolecules are part of an intercellular information gateway between cells within the brain and with other organs. Scientists have undertaken efforts to safeguard the inherent features of EVs as therapeutic delivery vehicles, such as protecting and transferring functional cargo, as well as loading them with therapeutic small molecules, proteins, and oligonucleotides and targeting them to specific cell types for the treatment of CNS diseases. Here, we review current emerging approaches that engineer the EV surface and cargo to improve targeting and functional responses in the brain. We summarize existing applications of engineered EVs as a therapeutic delivery platform for brain diseases, some of which have been evaluated clinically.

Extracellular Vesicles as Drug Delivery System for Treatment of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Optimization of the Cell Source

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a next generation drug delivery system that combines nanoparticle size with extraordinary ability to cross biological barriers, reduced immunogenicity, and low offsite toxicity profiles. A successful application of this natural way of delivering biological compounds requires deep understanding EVs intrinsic properties inherited from their parent cells. Herein, we evaluated EVs released by cells of different origin, with respect to drug delivery to the brain for treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. The morphology, size, and zeta potential of EVs secreted by primary macrophages (mEVs), neurons (nEVs), and astrocytes (aEVs) were examined by nanoparticle NTA, DLS, cryoTEM, and AFM. Spherical nanoparticles with average size 110-130 nm and zeta potential around -20 mV were identified for all EVs types. mEVs showed the highest levels of tetraspanins and integrins compared to nEVs and aEVs, suggesting superior adhesion and targeting to the inflamed tissues by mEVs. Strikingly, aEVs were preferentially taken up by neuronal cells in vitro, followed by mEVs and nEVs. Nevertheless, the brain accumulation levels of mEVs in a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson's disease were significantly higher than those of nEVs or aEVs. Therefore, mEVs were suggested as the most promising nanocarrier system for drug delivery to the brain.

Toward the next-generation phyto-nanomedicines: cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs) for natural product delivery

Phytochemicals are plant-derived bioactive compounds, which have been widely used for therapeutic purposes. Due to the poor water-solubility, low bioavailability and non-specific targeting characteristic, diverse classes of nanocarriers are utilized for encapsulation and delivery of bio-effective agents. Cell-derived nanovesicles (CDNs), known for exosomes or extracellular vesicles (EVs), are biological nanoparticles with multiple functions. Compared to the artificial counterpart, CDNs hold great potential in drug delivery given the higher stability, superior biocompatibility and the lager capability of encapsulating bioactive molecules. Here, we provide a bench-to-bedside review of CDNs-based nanoplatform, including the bio-origin, preparation, characterization and functionalization. Beyond that, the focus is laid on the therapeutic effect of CDNs-mediated drug delivery for natural products. The state-of-art development as well as some pre-clinical applications of using CDNs for disease treatment is also summarized. It is highly expected that the continuing development of CDNs-based delivery systems will further promote the clinical utilization and translation of phyto-nanomedicines.

Seminal exosomes - An important biological marker for various disorders and syndrome in human reproduction

BACKGROUND

Exosomes are nano-sized membrane vesicles, secreted by different types of cells into the body's biological fluids. They are found in abundance in semen as compared to other fluids. Exosomes contain a cargo of lipid molecules, proteins, phospholipids, cholesterol, mRNAs, and miRNAs. Each molecule of seminal exosomes (SE) has a potential role in male reproduction for childbirth. Many potential candidates are available within the seminal exosomes that can be used as diagnostic markers for various diseases or syndromes associated with male reproduction. Also these seminal exospmes play a major role in female reproductive tract for effective fertilization.

AIM

The aim of this review is to focus on the advancement of human seminal exosomal research and its various properties.

METHODS

We used many databases like Scopus, Google scholar, NCBI-NLM and other sources to filter the articles of interest published in exosomes. We used phrases like "Exosomes in human semen", "Composition of exosomes in human semen" and other relevant words to filter the best articles.

RESULTS

Seminal exosomes play a major role in sperm functions like cell-to-cell communication, motility of the sperm cells, maintaining survival capacity for the sperm in the female reproductive tract and spermatogenesis. Also, seminal exosomes are used as a carrier for many regulatory elements using small RNA molecules. miRNAs of the seminal exosomes can be used as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer instead of prostate specific antigen (PSA). Epididymosomes can be used as a biomarker for reproductive diseases and male infertility.

CONCLUSION

Seminal exosomes could be used as biological markers for various reproductive disorders, male infertility diagnosis, and it can be used in anti-retroviral research for the identification of novel therapeutics for HIV-1 infection and transmission.

Extracellular Vesicles and Antiphospholipid Syndrome: State-of-the-Art and Future Challenges

Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a systemic autoimmune disorder characterized by thromboembolism, obstetric complications, and the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a key role in intercellular communication and connectivity and are known to be involved in endothelial and vascular pathologies. Despite well-characterized in vitro and in vivo models of APS pathology, the field of EVs remains largely unexplored. This review recapitulates recent findings on the role of EVs in APS, focusing on their contribution to endothelial dysfunction. Several studies have found that APS patients with a history of thrombotic events have increased levels of EVs, particularly of endothelial origin. In obstetric APS, research on plasma levels of EVs is limited, but it appears that levels of EVs are increased. In general, there is evidence that EVs activate endothelial cells, exhibit proinflammatory and procoagulant effects, interact directly with cell receptors, and transfer biological material. Future studies on EVs in APS may provide new insights into APS pathology and reveal their potential as biomarkers to identify patients at increased risk.

The Role of Extracellular Vesicles in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Autoimmune Disorders

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important players in autoimmune diseases, both in disease pathogenesis and as potential treatments. EVs can transport autoimmune triggers throughout the body, facilitating the process of antigen presentation. Understanding the link between cellular stress and EV biogenesis and intercellular trafficking will advance our understanding of autoimmune diseases. In addition, EVs can also be effective treatments for autoimmune diseases. The diversity of cell types that produce EVs leads to a wide range of molecules to be present in EVs, and thus EVs have a wide range of physiological effects. EVs derived from dendritic cells or mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to reduce inflammation. Since many autoimmune treatments are focused only on symptom management, EVs present a promising avenue for potential treatments. This review looks at the different roles EVs can play in autoimmune diseases, from disease pathology to diagnosis and treatment. We also overview various methodologies in isolating or generating EVs and look to the future for possible applications of EVs in autoimmune diseases.

Extracellular Vesicle-Based Therapeutics: Preclinical and Clinical Investigations

Drug nanoformulations hold remarkable promise for the efficient delivery of therapeutics to a disease site. Unfortunately, artificial nanocarriers, mostly liposomes and polymeric nanoparticles, show limited applications due to the unfavorable pharmacokinetics and rapid clearance from the blood circulation by the reticuloendothelial system (RES). Besides, many of them have high cytotoxicity, low biodegradability, and the inability to cross biological barriers, including the blood brain barrier. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are novel candidates for drug delivery systems with high bioavailability, exceptional biocompatibility, and low immunogenicity. They provide a means for intercellular communication and the transmission of bioactive compounds to targeted tissues, cells, and organs. These features have made them increasingly attractive as a therapeutic platform in recent years. However, there are many obstacles to designing EV-based therapeutics. In this review, we will outline the main hurdles and limitations for therapeutic and clinical applications of drug loaded EV formulations and describe various attempts to solve these problems.

Advances in Exosomes-Based Drug Delivery Systems

Exosomes, a subgroup of extracellular vesicles, are important mediators of long-distance intercellular communication and are involved in a diverse range of biological processes such as the transport of lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. Researchers, seeing the problems caused by the toxic effects and clearance of synthetic nanoparticles, consider exosomes as an interesting alternative to such nanoparticles in the specific and controlled transport of drugs. In recent years, there have been remarkable advances in the use of exosomes in cancer therapeutics or for treating neurological diseases, among other applications. The objective of this work is to analyze studies focused on exosomes used in drug delivery system, present and future applications in this field of research are discussed based on the results obtained.

Approaches to inducing antigen-specific immune tolerance in allergy and autoimmunity: Focus on antigen-presenting cells and extracellular vesicles

Increasing prevalence of allergic and autoimmune diseases urges clinicians and researchers to search for new and efficient treatments. Strategies that activate antigen-specific immune tolerance and simultaneously maintain immune reactivity to all other antigens deserve special attention. Accordingly, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) seem to be the best suited for orchestrating these mechanisms by directing T cell immune responses towards a tolerant subtype. Recent advances in understanding cell-to-cell communication via extracellular vesicles (EVs) make the latter promising candidates for reprogramming APCs towards a tolerant phenotype, and for mediating tolerogenic APC function. Thus, comprehensive studies have been undertaken to describe the interactions of APCs and EVs naturally occurring during immune tolerance induction, as well as to develop EV-based manoeuvres enabling the induction of immune tolerance in an antigen-specific manner. In this review, we summarize the findings of relevant studies, with a special emphasis on future perspectives on their translation to clinical practice.

LincRNA-EPS in biomimetic vesicles targeting cerebral infarction promotes inflammatory resolution and neurogenesis

BACKGROUND

Inflammatory damage following stroke aggravates brain damage, resulting in long-term neurological sequelae. The purpose of this study was to identify ways to reduce inflammatory reactions and to accelerate neuron regeneration after cerebral apoplexy.

METHODS

We formulated a biomimetic vesicle, the leukosome, constituted by liposome, artificial long intergenic noncoding RNA (lincRNA)-EPS, and membrane proteins derived from macrophages and their physical-chemical characteristics were evaluated. Migration distance and cytotoxic levels were measured to determine the effect of lncEPS-leukosomes on lipopolysaccharide-activated microglia. An in vivo transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (tMCAO) model was established in mice, which were treated with lncEPS-leukosomes. Vesicle seepage, infiltration of inflammatory cells, cytotoxic levels in the cerebrospinal fluid, and neural stem cell (NSC) density were measured.

RESULTS

Biomimetic vesicles with a homogeneous size increased lincRNA-EPS levels in activated microglia by 77.9%. In vitro studies showed that lincRNA-EPS inhibited the migration and cytotoxic levels of activated microglia by 63.2% and 43.6%, respectively, which promoted NSC proliferation and anti-apoptotic ability. In vivo data showed that leukosomes targeted to inflamed sites and lncEPS-leukosomes decreased the infiltration of inflammatory cells and cytotoxic levels by 81.3% and 48.7%, respectively. In addition, lncEPS-leukosomes improved neuron density in the ischemic core and boundary zone after tMCAO.

CONCLUSIONS

The biomimetic vesicles formulated in this study targeted inflammatory cells and accelerated neuron regeneration by promoting inflammation resolution. This study may provide a promising treatment approach for accelerated neuron regeneration after cerebral apoplexy.

Extracellular vesicles in the diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system diseases

Extracellular vesicles, including exosomes and microvesicles, play a fundamental role in the activity of the nervous system, participating in signal transmission between neurons and providing the interaction of central nervous system with all body systems. In many neurodegenerative diseases, neurons pack toxic substances into vesicles and release them into the extracellular space, which leads to the spread of misfolded neurotoxic proteins. The contents of neuron-derived extracellular vesicles may indicate pathological changes in the central nervous system, and the analysis of extracellular vesicle molecular content contributes to the development of non-invasive methods for the diagnosis of many central nervous system diseases. Extracellular vesicles of neuronal origin can be isolated from various biological fluids due to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. Today, the diagnostic potential of almost all toxic proteins involved in nervous system disease pathogenesis, specifically α-synuclein, tau protein, superoxide dismutase 1, FUS, leucine-rich repeat kinase 2, as well as some synaptic proteins, has been well evidenced. Special attention is paid to extracellular RNAs mostly associated with extracellular vesicles, which are important in the onset and development of many neurodegenerative diseases. Depending on parental cell type, extracellular vesicles may have different therapeutic properties, including neuroprotective, regenerative, and anti-inflammatory. Due to nano size, biosafety, ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, possibility of targeted delivery and the lack of an immune response, extracellular vesicles are a promising vehicle for the delivery of therapeutic substances for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and drug delivery to the brain. This review describes modern approaches of diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system diseases using extracellular vesicles.

Extracellular Vesicles in Human Reproduction in Health and Disease

Extensive evidence suggests that the release of membrane-enclosed compartments, more commonly known as extracellular vesicles (EVs), is a potent newly identified mechanism of cell-to-cell communication both in normal physiology and in pathological conditions. This review presents evidence about the formation and release of different EVs, their definitive markers and cargo content in reproductive physiological processes, and their capacity to convey information between cells through the transfer of functional protein and genetic information to alter phenotype and function of recipient cells associated with reproductive biology. In the male reproductive tract, epididymosomes and prostasomes participate in regulating sperm motility activation, capacitation, and acrosome reaction. In the female reproductive tract, follicular fluid, oviduct/tube, and uterine cavity EVs are considered as vehicles to carry information during oocyte maturation, fertilization, and embryo-maternal crosstalk. EVs via their cargo might be also involved in the triggering, maintenance, and progression of reproductive- and obstetric-related pathologies such as endometriosis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and erectile dysfunction. In this review, we provide current knowledge on the present and future use of EVs not only as biomarkers, but also as therapeutic targeting agents, mainly as vectors for drug or compound delivery into target cells and tissues.

Extracellular Vesicle Subtypes Released From Activated or Apoptotic T-Lymphocytes Carry a Specific and Stimulus-Dependent Protein Cargo

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are released from nearly all mammalian cells and different EV populations have been described. Microvesicles represent large EVs (LEVs) released from the cellular surface, while exosomes are small EVs (SEVs) released from an intracellular compartment. As it is likely that different stimuli promote the release of distinct EV populations, we analyzed EVs from human lymphocytes considering the respective release stimuli (activation Vs. apoptosis induction). We could clearly separate two EV populations, namely SEVs (average diameter <200 nm) and LEVs (diameter range between 200 and 1000 nm). Morphology and size were analyzed by electron microscopy and nanoparticle tracking analysis. Apoptosis induction caused a massive release of LEVs, while activated T-cells released SEVs and LEVs in considerably lower amounts. The release of SEVs from apoptotic T-cells was comparable with LEV release from activated ones. LEVs contained signaling proteins and proteins of the actin-myosin cytoskeleton. SEVs carried cytoplasmic/endosomal proteins like the 70-kDa heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) or tumor susceptibility 101 (TSG101), microtubule-associated proteins, and ubiquitinated proteins. The protein expression profile of SEVs and LEVs changed substantially after the induction of apoptosis. After apoptosis induction, HSP70 and TSG101 (often used as exosome markers) were highly expressed within LEVs. Interestingly, in contrast to HSP70 and TSG101, gelsolin and eps15 homology domain-containing protein 3 (EHD3) turned out to be specific for SEVs irrespective of the stimulus causing the EV release. Finally, we detected several subunits of the proteasome (PSMB9, PSMB10) as well as the danger signal HMGB1 exclusively within apoptotic cell-released LEVs. Thus, we were able to identify new marker proteins that can be useful to discriminate between distinct LEV subpopulations. The mass spectrometry proteomics data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD009074.

Transplantation and Alternatives to Treat Autoimmune Diseases

Transplantation is considered as one of the methods for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. There are different sorts of transplantation which improved the situation for the cure of different kinds of autoimmune diseases. Cord blood transplantation is favored over other transplant techniques. The propelled treatments incorporate interferon administrative elements and mesenchymal stromal cells for the management of immune system issue particularly in the treatment of rheumatoid joint inflammation. According to the studies conducted, it was proven that cord blood/UC mesenchymal cells along with DMARDs, without consistent organization expanded the level of administrative regulatory T-cells of the peripheral blood which might be a protected and huge technique for the treatment of patients experiencing rheumatoid joint inflammation. This review article focusses on different organ transplantation and alternative methods to treat autoimmune condition like rheumatoid arthritis. Using 3D printing and artificial intelligence are some of the recent trends that may be used for the management of autoimmune diseases.