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Review
. 2020 Aug 24;21(17):6097.
doi: 10.3390/ijms21176097.

Extracellular Vesicles in the Development of Cancer Therapeutics

Haoyao Sun  1   2 , Stephanie Burrola  1 , Jinchang Wu  2   3 , Wei-Qun Ding  1
Affiliations
Review

Extracellular Vesicles in the Development of Cancer Therapeutics

Haoyao Sun et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small lipid bilayer-delimited nanoparticles released from all types of cells examined thus far. Several groups of EVs, including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies, have been identified according to their size and biogenesis. With extensive investigations on EVs over the last decade, it is now recognized that EVs play a pleiotropic role in various physiological processes as well as pathological conditions through mediating intercellular communication. Most notably, EVs have been shown to be involved in cancer initiation and progression and EV signaling in cancer are viewed as potential therapeutic targets. Furthermore, as membrane nanoparticles, EVs are natural products with some of them, such as tumor exosomes, possessing tumor homing propensity, thus leading to strategies utilizing EVs as drug carriers to effectively deliver cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarize recent reports on exploring EVs signaling as potential therapeutic targets in cancer as well as on developing EVs as therapeutic delivery carriers for cancer therapy. Findings from preclinical studies are primarily discussed, with early phase clinical trials reviewed. We hope to provide readers updated information on the development of EVs as cancer therapeutic targets or therapeutic carriers.

Keywords: cancer therapeutic; drug carrier; exosome; extracellular vesicle; microvesicle.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
sEV biogenesis, release, uptake, and contents. Created with BioRender.com.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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