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Review
. 2021 Jun 30;10(7):606.
doi: 10.3390/biology10070606.

Interplay between Hypoxia and Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer and Inflammation

Affiliations
Review

Interplay between Hypoxia and Extracellular Vesicles in Cancer and Inflammation

Marta Venturella et al. Biology (Basel). .

Abstract

Hypoxia is a severe stress condition often observed in cancer and chronically inflamed cells and tissues. Extracellular vesicles play pivotal roles in these pathological processes and carry biomolecules that can be detected in many biofluids and may be exploited for diagnostic purposes. Several studies report the effects of hypoxia on extracellular vesicles' release, molecular content, and biological functions in disease. This review summarizes the most recent findings in this field, highlighting the areas that warrant further investigation.

Keywords: HIF; biomarker discovery; cancer; exosomes; extracellular vesicles; hypoxia; inflammation; liquid biopsy; microvesicles.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
A non-invasive blood sampling allows EV isolation for biomarkers studies (DNA, RNA species, proteins).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proliferating cancer cells in hypoxic condition release EVs packaged with biomolecules involved in (a) proliferation; (b) angiogenesis; (c) EMT; and (d) metastatic behavior.

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