Exosome-based hybrid nanostructures for enhanced tumor targeting and hyperthermia therapy

Anticancer effect of hUC-MSC-derived exosome-mediated delivery of PMO-miR-146b-5p in colorectal cancer

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) is a novel therapeutic platform for targeted cancer therapy. Previously, we have demonstrated that miR-146b-5p plays an important role in colorectal cancer progression. However, a safe and effective strategy for delivery of an ASO to its targeted RNA remains as a major hurdle in translational advances. Human umbilical cord mesenchymal cell (hUC-MSC)-derived exosomes were used as vehicles to deliver an anti-miR-146b-5p ASO (PMO-146b). PMO-146b was assembled onto the surface of exosomes (e) through covalent conjugation to an anchor peptide CP05 (P) that recognized an exosomal surface marker, CD63, forming a complex named ePPMO-146b. After ePPMO-146b treatment, cell proliferation, uptake ability, and migration assays were performed, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition progression was evaluated in vitro. A mouse xenograft model was used to determine the antitumor effect and distribution of ePPMO-146b in vivo. ePPMO-146b was taken up by SW620 cells and effectively inhibited cell proliferation and migration. The conjugate also exerted antitumor efficacy in a xenograft mouse model of colon cancer by systematic administration, where PPMO-146b was enriched in tumor tissue. Our study highlights the potential of hUC-MSC-derived exosomes anchored with PPMO-146b as a novel safe and effective approach for PMO backboned ASO delivery.

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

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), acting as inherent nanocarriers adept at transporting a range of different biological molecules such as proteins, lipids, and genetic material, exhibit diverse functions within the gastroenteric tract. In states of normal health, they participate in the upkeep of systemic and organ homeostasis. Conversely, in pathological conditions, they significantly contribute to the pathogenesis of gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs). Isolating EVs from patients' biofluids facilitates the discovery of new biomarkers that have the potential to offer a rapid, cost-effective, and non-invasive method for diagnosing and prognosing specific GIDs. Furthermore, EVs demonstrate considerable therapeutic potential as naturally targeted physiological carriers for the intercellular delivery of therapeutic cargo molecules or as nanoscale tools engineered specifically to regulate physio-pathological conditions or disease progression. Their attributes including safety, high permeability, stability, biocompatibility, low immunogenicity, and homing/tropism capabilities contribute to their promising clinical therapeutic applications. This review will delve into various examples of EVs serving as biomarkers or nanocarriers for therapeutic cargo in the context of GIDs, highlighting their clinical potential for both functional and structural gastrointestinal conditions. The versatile and advantageous properties of EVs position them as promising candidates for innovative therapeutic strategies in advancing personalized medicine approaches tailored to the gastroenteric tract, addressing both functional and structural GIDs.

Colorectal cancer cell exosome and cytoplasmic membrane for homotypic delivery of therapeutic molecules

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common causes of death in the world. The multi-drug resistance, especially in metastatic colorectal cancer, drives the development of new strategies that secure a positive outcome and reduce undesirable side effects. Nanotechnology has made an impact in addressing some pharmacokinetic and safety issues related to administration of free therapeutic agents. However, demands of managing complex biointerfacing require equally complex methods for introducing stimuli-responsive or targeting elements. In order to procure a more efficient solution to the overcoming of biological barriers, the physiological functions of cancer cell plasma and exosomal membranes provided the source of highly functionalized coatings. Biomimetic nanovehicles based on colorectal cancer (CRC) membranes imparted enhanced biological compatibility, immune escape and protection to diverse classes of therapeutic molecules. When loaded with therapeutic load or used as a coating for other therapeutic nanovehicles, they provide highly efficient and selective cell targeting and uptake. This review presents a detailed overview of the recent application of homotypic biomimetic nanovehicles in the management of CRC. We also address some of the current possibilities and challenges associated with the CRC membrane biomimetics.

Exosomes: a potential diagnostic and treatment modality in the quest for counteracting cancer

BACKGROUND

Exosomes are nanosized bio vesicles formed when multivesicular bodies and the plasma membrane merge and discharge into bodily fluids. They are well recognized for facilitating intercellular communication by transporting numerous biomolecules, including DNA, RNAs, proteins, and lipids, and have been implicated in varied diseases including cancer. Exosomes may be altered to transport a variety of therapeutic payloads, including as short interfering RNAs, antisense oligonucleotides, chemotherapeutic drugs, and immunological modulators, and can be directed to a specific target. Exosomes also possess the potential to act as a diagnostic biomarker in cancer, in addition to their therapeutic potential.

CONCLUSION

In this review, the physiological roles played by exosomes were summarized along with their biogenesis process. Different isolation techniques of exosomes including centrifugation-based, size-based, and polymer precipitation-based techniques have also been described in detail with a special focus on cancer therapeutic applications. The review also shed light on techniques of incubation of drugs with exosomes and their characterization methods covering the most advanced techniques. Myriad applications of exosomes in cancer as diagnostic biomarkers, drug delivery carriers, and chemoresistance-related issues have been discussed at length. Furthermore, a brief overview of exosome-based anti-cancer vaccines and a few prominent challenges concerning exosomal delivery have been concluded at the end.

Bleomycin loaded exosomes enhanced antitumor therapeutic efficacy and reduced toxicity

BACKGROUND

Bleomycin (BLM) is a chemotherapeutic agent with potent antitumor activity against the tumor. However, lung fibrosis is the main drawback that limits BLM use. Tumor targeted, safe, efficient and natural delivery of BLM is important to increase the effectiveness and reduce the toxic side effects. Although tumor derived Exosomes (Exo), provide a potential vehicle for in vivo drug delivery due to their cell tropism. This study primarily focuses on generating a natural delivery platform for Exo loaded with BLM and testing its therapeutic efficacy against cancer.

METHODS

Exosomes were isolated from cancer cells and incubated with BLM. Exo were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, western blot analysis and nanoparticle tracking analysis. We performed in vitro and in vivo analyses to evaluate the effect of Exo-BLM.

RESULTS

Exosomes loaded with BLM are highly cancer targeting and cause the cytotoxicity of tumor cells by ROS. The fluorescence images showed that Exo-BLM accumulated in cancer cells. The results revealed that Exo-BLM induces tumor cell apoptosis by the caspase pathway. In vivo, the treatment of Exo-BLM showed targeted ability and enhanced the antitumor activity.

CONCLUSION

This study provides an avenue for specific BLM therapeutics with minimal side effects.

Engineered extracellular vesicles-like biomimetic nanoparticles as an emerging platform for targeted cancer therapy

Nanotechnology offers the possibility of revolutionizing cancer theranostics in the new era of precision oncology. Extracellular vesicles (EVs)-like biomimetic nanoparticles (EBPs) have recently emerged as a promising platform for targeted cancer drug delivery. Compared with conventional synthetic vehicles, EBPs have several advantages, such as lower immunogenicity, longer circulation time, and better targeting capability. Studies on EBPs as cancer therapeutics are rapidly progressing from in vitro experiments to in vivo animal models and early-stage clinical trials. Here, we describe engineering strategies to further improve EBPs as effective anticancer drug carriers, including genetic manipulation of original cells, fusion with synthetic nanomaterials, and direct modification of EVs. These engineering approaches can improve the anticancer performance of EBPs, especially in terms of tumor targeting effectiveness, stealth property, drug loading capacity, and integration with other therapeutic modalities. Finally, the current obstacles and future perspectives of engineered EBPs as the next-generation delivery platform for anticancer drugs are discussed.

Nanomedicine and Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Systematic Review

The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers has increased in recent years. Current treatments present numerous challenges, including drug resistance, non-specificity, and severe side effects, needing the exploration of new therapeutic strategies. One promising avenue is the use of magnetic nanoparticles, which have gained considerable interest due to their ability to generate heat in tumor regions upon the application of an external alternating magnetic field, a process known as hyperthermia. This review conducted a systematic search of in vitro and in vivo studies published in the last decade that employ hyperthermia therapy mediated by magnetic nanoparticles for treating gastrointestinal cancers. After applying various inclusion and exclusion criteria (studies in the last 10 years where hyperthermia using alternative magnetic field is applied), a total of 40 articles were analyzed. The results revealed that iron oxide is the preferred material for magnetism generation in the nanoparticles, and colorectal cancer is the most studied gastrointestinal cancer. Interestingly, novel therapies employing nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs in combination with magnetic hyperthermia demonstrated an excellent antitumor effect. In conclusion, hyperthermia treatments mediated by magnetic nanoparticles appear to be an effective approach for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, offering advantages over traditional therapies.

Recent progress in the effect of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on cells and extracellular vesicles

At present, iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) are widely used in the biomedical field. They have unique advantages in targeted drug delivery, imaging and disease treatment. However, there are many things to pay attention to. In this paper, we reviewed the fate of IONPs in different cells and the influence on the production, separation, delivery and treatment of extracellular vesicles. It aims to provide cutting-edge knowledge related to iron oxide nanoparticles. Only by ensuring the safety and effectiveness of IONPs can their application in biomedical research and clinic be further improved.

The application of extracellular vesicles in colorectal cancer metastasis and drug resistance: recent advances and trends

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has high incidence and mortality rates and is one of the most common cancers of the digestive tract worldwide. Metastasis and drug resistance are the main causes of cancer treatment failure. Studies have recently suggested extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a novel mechanism for intercellular communication. They are vesicular particles, which are secreted and released into biological fluids, such as blood, urine, milk, etc., by a variety of cells and carry numerous biologically active molecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, metabolites, etc. EVs play a crucial part in the metastasis and drug resistance of CRC by delivering cargo to recipient cells and modulating their behavior. An in-depth exploration of EVs might facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the biological behavior of CRC metastasis and drug resistance, which might provide a basis for developing therapeutic strategies. Therefore, considering the specific biological properties of EVs, researchers have attempted to explore their potential as next-generation delivery systems. On the other hand, EVs have also been demonstrated as biomarkers for the prediction, diagnosis, and presumed prognosis of CRC. This review focuses on the role of EVs in regulating the metastasis and chemoresistance of CRC. Moreover, the clinical applications of EVs are also discussed.

Extracellular Vesicles as reconfigurable therapeutics for eye diseases: Promises and hurdles

A large number of people worldwide suffer from visual impairment. However, most available therapies rely on impeding the development of a particular eye disorder. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for effective alternative treatments, specifically regenerative therapies. Extracellular vesicles, including exosomes, ectosomes, or microvesicles, are released by cells and play a potential role in regeneration. Following an introduction to EV biogenesis and isolation methods, this integrative review provides an overview of our current knowledge about EVs as a communication paradigm in the eye. Then, we focused on the therapeutic applications of EVs derived from conditioned medium, biological fluid, or tissue and highlighted some recent developments in strategies to boost the innate therapeutic potential of EVs by loading various kinds of drugs or being engineered at the level of producing cells or EVs. Challenges faced in the development of safe and effective translation of EV-based therapy into clinical settings for eye diseases are also discussed to pave the road toward reaching feasible regenerative therapies required for eye-related complications.

Exosome-like systems: Nanotechnology to overcome challenges for targeted cancer therapies

Exosomes are natural extracellular nanovesicles (30-150 nm in diameter) with the ability to interact with and be taken up by specific cells. They are being explored as delivery systems and imaging agents for biomedical purposes owing to their biocompatibility, biostability in extracellular biofluids, and organotropic properties. However, their usefulness, efficacy, and clinical application are limited by certain critical parameters, including the need for more robust and reproducible manufacturing processes, characterization, quality control assessment, and clinical studies. Recently, exosome-like systems have emerged as alternatives for overcoming the limitations of natural exosomes. These systems are based on surface engineering approaches and nanoscale platforms that offer a deeper understanding and allow for more exhaustive standardization compared with natural exosomes. By combining the latest knowledge related to exosome research with the most promising developments in nanotechnology, exosome-like systems can be developed as a competitive approach for innovative targeted anti-cancer therapies. This review aims to provide a critical overview of the latest advances in designing and testing innovative exosome-like systems and the most promising modalities that can be translated into the clinic. Future perspectives and challenges in this field are discussed.

Extracellular Vesicles in Colorectal Cancer: From Tumor Growth and Metastasis to Biomarkers and Nanomedications

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading public health concern due to its incidence and high mortality rates, highlighting the requirement of an early diagnosis. Evaluation of circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs) might constitute a noninvasive and reliable approach for CRC detection and for patient follow-up because EVs display the molecular features of the cells they originate. EVs are released by almost all cell types and are mainly categorized as exosomes originating from exocytosis of intraluminal vesicles from multivesicular bodies, ectosomes resulting from outward budding of the plasma membrane and apoptotic bodies' ensuing cell shrinkage. These vesicles play a critical role in intercellular communications during physiological and pathological processes. They facilitate CRC progression and premetastatic niche formation, and they enable transfer of chemotherapy resistance to sensitive cells through the local or remote delivery of their lipid, nucleic acid and protein content. On another note, their stability in the bloodstream, their permeation in tissues and their sheltering of packaged material make engineered EVs suitable vectors for efficient delivery of tracers and therapeutic agents for tumor imaging or treatment. Here, we focus on the physiopathological role of EVs in CRCs, their value in the diagnosis and prognosis and ongoing investigations into therapeutic approaches.

Artificial and Naturally Derived Phospholipidic Bilayers as Smart Coatings of Solid-State Nanoparticles: Current Works and Perspectives in Cancer Therapy

Recent advances in nanomedicine toward cancer treatment have considered exploiting liposomes and extracellular vesicles as effective cargos to deliver therapeutic agents to tumor cells. Meanwhile, solid-state nanoparticles are continuing to attract interest for their great medical potential thanks to their countless properties and possible applications. However, possible drawbacks arising from the use of nanoparticles in nanomedicine, such as the nonspecific uptake of these materials in healthy organs, their aggregation in biological environments and their possible immunogenicity, must be taken into account. Considering these limitations and the intrinsic capability of phospholipidic bilayers to act as a biocompatible shield, their exploitation for effectively encasing solid-state nanoparticles seems a promising strategy to broaden the frontiers of cancer nanomedicine, also providing the possibility to engineer the lipid bilayers to further enhance the therapeutic potential of such nanotools. This work aims to give a comprehensive overview of the latest developments in the use of artificial liposomes and naturally derived extracellular vesicles for the coating of solid-state nanoparticles for cancer treatment, starting from in vitro works until the up-to-date advances and current limitations of these nanopharmaceutics in clinical applications, passing through in vivo and 3D cultures studies.

Novel Tumor-Targeting Nanoparticles for Cancer Treatment—A Review

Being one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, cancer represents an ongoing interdisciplinary challenge for the scientific community. As currently used treatments may face limitations in terms of both efficiency and adverse effects, continuous research has been directed towards overcoming existing challenges and finding safer specific alternatives. In particular, increasing interest has been gathered around integrating nanotechnology in cancer management and subsequentially developing various tumor-targeting nanoparticles for cancer applications. In this respect, the present paper briefly describes the most used cancer treatments in clinical practice to set a reference framework for recent research findings, further focusing on the novel developments in the field. More specifically, this review elaborates on the top recent studies concerning various nanomaterials (i.e., carbon-based, metal-based, liposomes, cubosomes, lipid-based, polymer-based, micelles, virus-based, exosomes, and cell membrane-coated nanomaterials) that show promising potential in different cancer applications.

Integrated therapy platform of exosomal system: hybrid inorganic/organic nanoparticles with exosomes for cancer treatment

Recent studies have found that exosomes or extracellular vehicles (EVs) are associated with cancer metastasis, disease progression, diagnosis, and treatment, leading to a rapidly emerging area of exocrine vesicle research. Relying on the superior targeting function and bio-compatibility of exosomes, researchers have been able to deliver drugs to cancer stem cells deep within tumors in mouse models. Despite significant efforts made in this relatively new field of exosome research, progress has been held back by challenges such as inefficient separation methods, difficulties in characterization/tracking, and a lack of specific biomarkers. Therefore, current researches are devoted to combining nanomaterials with exosomes to improve these shortcomings. Adding inorganic/organic nanoparticles such as artificial liposomes and iron oxide can bring more drug options and various fluorescent or magnetic diagnostic possibilities to the exosome system. Moreover, the applications of exosomes need to be further evaluated under actual physiological conditions. This review article highlights the potential of exosome-biomimetic nanoparticles for their use as drug carriers to improve the efficacy of anticancer therapy.

Engineering stem cells to produce exosomes with enhanced bone regeneration effects: an alternative strategy for gene therapy

Background

Exosomes derived from stem cells have been widely studied for promoting regeneration and reconstruction of multiple tissues as “cell-free” therapies. However, the applications of exosomes have been hindered by limited sources and insufficient therapeutic potency.

Results

In this study, a stem cell-mediated gene therapy strategy is developed in which mediator mesenchymal stem cells are genetically engineered by bone morphogenetic protein-2 gene to produce exosomes (MSC-BMP2-Exo) with enhanced bone regeneration potency. This effect is attributed to the synergistic effect of the content derived from MSCs and the up-regulated BMP2 gene expression. The MSC-BMP2-Exo also present homing ability to the injured site. The toxic effect of genetical transfection vehicles is borne by mediator MSCs, while the produced exosomes exhibit excellent biocompatibility. In addition, by plasmid tracking, it is interesting to find a portion of plasmid DNA can be encapsulated by exosomes and delivered to recipient cells.

Conclusions

In this strategy, engineered MSCs function as cellular factories, which effectively produce exosomes with designed and enhanced therapeutic effects. The accelerating effect in bone healing and the good biocompatibility suggest the potential clinical application of this strategy.

Graphical Abstract

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12951-022-01347-3.

New insights into Epstein‑Barr virus‑associated tumors: Exosomes (Review)

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is endemic worldwide and is associated with a number of human tumors. EBV-associated tumors have unique mechanisms of tumorigenesis. EBV encodes multiple oncogenic molecules that can be loaded into exosomes released by EBV⁺ tumor cells to mediate intercellular communication. Moreover, different EBV⁺ tumor cells secrete exosomes that act on various target cells with various biological functions. In addition to oncogenicity, EBV⁺ exosomes have potential immunosuppressive effects. Investigating EBV⁺ exosomes could identify the role of EBV in tumorigenesis and progression. The present review summarized advances in studies focusing on exosomes and the functions of EBV⁺ exosomes derived from different EBV-associated tumors. EBV⁺ exosomes are expected to become a new biomarker for disease diagnosis and prognosis. Therefore, exosome-targeted therapy displays potential.