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Review
. 2017 Nov 3;10(1):73.
doi: 10.1186/s13048-017-0368-6.

A comprehensive overview of exosomes in ovarian cancer: emerging biomarkers and therapeutic strategies

Lin Cheng  1 , Shuying Wu  1 , Kun Zhang  1 , Yun'an Qing  1 , Tianmin Xu  2
Affiliations
Review

A comprehensive overview of exosomes in ovarian cancer: emerging biomarkers and therapeutic strategies

Lin Cheng et al. J Ovarian Res. .

Abstract

Exosomes are nanoparticles(40-100 nm) secreted by most cells in the body, which can be isolated from several types of extracellular fluids. It has been shown that exosomes play a key role in intercellular communication and in transportation of genetic information. Emerging evidence shows that exosomes are mediators of metastasis in tumour cells, stromal cells and the extracellular matrix component through the shuttling of cargo, such as proteins, lipids, RNAs, double-stranded DNAs, non-transcribed RNAs, and microRNAs. This phenomenon has been indicated in both tumourigenesis and drug resistance. In this review, we introduce new methods of exosome extraction, focusing on the emerging role of exosomes in ovarian cancer, and discuss their potential clinical applications.

Keywords: DNA; Exosomes; Ovarian cancer; Protein; RNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent for publication

I confirm that all authors of the manuscript have agreed to its content and the order of authors listed in the manuscript has been approved by all of us.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic diagram of exosomes. Exosomes possess a double membrane structure-like cell membrane. They contain several types of bio-active molecules, such as proteins, lipids, RNAs, and DNAs
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Exosomes in tumour microenvironment. As a significant signalling delivery that shuttles between stromal cells, endothelial cells, and infiltrating immune cells, exosomes promote ovarian cancer progression and metastasis by inducing normal cells (adipocytes, macrophage, fibroblasts) to acquire a tumour-supporting phenotype and functionality
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Schematic for silica nanostructured platform
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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