bims-exocan 2023-05-14 papers

Issue of 2023–05–14
six papers selected by
Muhammad Rizwan, COMSATS University

J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2023 May 08.

Exosome-mediated crosstalk between tumor cells and innate immune cells: implications for cancer progression and therapeutic strategies.

Louis Boafo Kwantwi.

The increasing number of cancer-associated deaths despite the substantial improvement in diagnosis and treatment has sparked discussions on the need for novel biomarkers and therapeutic strategies for cancer. Exosomes have become crucial players in tumor development and progression, largely due to the diverse nature of their cargo content released to recipient cells. Importantly, exosome-mediated crosstalk between tumor and stromal cells is essential in reprogramming the tumor microenvironment to facilitate tumor progression. As a result, exosomes have gradually become a marker for the early diagnosis of many diseases and an important tool in drug delivery systems. However, the precise mechanisms by which exosomes participate in tumor progression remain elusive, multifaceted, and a double-edged sword, thus requiring further clarification. The available evidence suggests that exosomes can facilitate communication between innate immune cells and tumor cells to either support or inhibit tumor progression. Herein, this review focused on exosome-mediated intercellular communication between tumor cells and macrophages, neutrophils, mast cells, monocytes, dendritic cells, and natural killer cells. Specifically, how such intercellular communication affects tumor progression has been described. It has also been discussed that, depending on their cargo, exosomes can suppress or promote tumor cell progression. In addition, the potential application of exosomes and strategies to target exosomes in cancer treatment has been comprehensively discussed.

Keywords: Dendritic cells; Exosomes; Macrophage; Mast cells; Monocytes; Natural killer cells; Neutrophils; Tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-023-04833-9

Front Immunol. 2023 ;14 1130033

T cell-derived exosomes in tumor immune modulation and immunotherapy.

Qiujun Zhou, Shenyu Wei, Hui Wang, Yuanyuan Li, Shasha Fan, Yi Cao, Chenglei Wang.

Exosomes are nanoscale vesicles secreted by most cells and have a phospholipid bilayer structure. Exosomes contain DNA, small RNA, proteins, and other substances that can carry proteins and nucleic acids and participate in communication between cells. T cells are an indispensable part of adaptive immunity, and the functions of T cell-derived exosomes have been widely studied. In the more than three decades since the discovery of exosomes, several studies have revealed that T cell-derived exosomes play a novel role in cell-to-cell signaling, especially in the tumor immune response. In this review, we discuss the function of exosomes derived from different T cell subsets, explore applications in tumor immunotherapy, and consider the associated challenges.

Keywords: T cell; cancer; exosome; immune modulation; immunotherapy; tumor

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1130033

Curr Top Med Chem. 2023 May 04.

Advances in exosome research in the management of lung cancer.

Huiqing Shen, Dawei Cao, Xinri Zhang.

Lung cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors, and its death rate is much higher than that of colon, kidney, breast, and prostate cancers, and its 5-year survival rate is only 18%. Lung cancer has no specific clinical symptoms in its early stages and lacks effective detection, making early detection difficult. The survival rate for advanced lung cancer is meager, with a median survival of only 12 months for stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer treated with platinumbased chemotherapy. Exosomes could provide vital information for the early diagnosis of lung cancer and have the potential to become a tumor marker for lung cancer. In addition, scientists have proposed encouraging ways to treat lung cancer by loading drugs, proteins, microRNAs, and siRNAs into exosomes. Therefore, studying lung cancer exosomes and exosomal nano drugs will provide new ideas and approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer. This paper reviews the progress of research on the biological functions of exosomes and exosomal nanomedicines and their applications in clinical practice.

Keywords: diagnosis; drug dilivery; exosomes; lung cancer; nanodrugs; treatment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2174/1568026623666230504101208

CNS Neurosci Ther. 2023 May 11.

Exosomes-mediated crosstalk between glioma and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.

Xu Guo, Rui Sui, Haozhe Piao.

Gliomas are the most common primary malignant tumors in the central nervous system. However, conventional treatments, such as surgical resection and postoperative combined chemo- and radio-therapy, are ineffective in improving patients' long-term survival. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of stromal cells, tumor components, and innate and acquired immune cells, and these cells, along with the extracellular matrix, regulate and communicate intercellularly to promote TME formation. The immune microenvironment plays a vital role in the development of glioma. Exosomes, which are extracellular vesicles (EVs), facilitate intercellular communication and regulation within the TME. Tumor cells can release exosomes to transmit messages, induce macrophage polarization, and inhibit immune cell activity, ultimately promoting metastasis and immune evasion. Moreover, immune cells can regulate tumorigenesis and progression through exosomes. This review summarized the biological properties of exosomes and their effects on the tumor microenvironment and provides an overview of the interactions between glioma cells and immune cells.

Keywords: exosomes; glioma; immune cells; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/cns.14239

Discov Oncol. 2023 May 10. 14(1): 65

Advances of exosomal miRNAs in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Jun Xiong, Fen Fu, Feng Yu, Xiaoju He.

Ovarian cancer is a tumor with the highest fatalities among female malignant tumors. This disease has no typical symptoms in its early stage, and most of the patients are in an advanced stage when being treated. The treatment effect is poor and it is easy to develop chemotherapy resistance. Therefore, it is particularly urgent to clarify the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer, explore its early diagnosis of biomarkers, and discover new treatment methods. As a carrier of intercellular information and genetic material transfer, exosomes are widely distributed in body fluids (e.g. blood and urine), which are regarded as latent tumor markers and take effects on tumor occurrence and invasion. Several articles have recently signified that exosomal miRNAs are widely implicated in the formation of the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment, disease initiation and progression, and the generation of chemotherapy resistance. This article reviews the research on exosomal miRNAs in ovarian cancer.

Keywords: Exosomal miRNAs; Hallmark; Ovarian cancer; Tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-023-00674-7

Discov Oncol. 2023 May 08. 14(1): 60

Exosomes and circular RNAs: promising partners in hepatocellular carcinoma from bench to bedside.

Mengyuan Hu, Xue Li, Zhenluo Jiang, Qing Xia, Yaoren Hu, Junming Guo, Liyun Fu.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is characterized by high morbidity and mortality, and a low 5-year survival rate. Exploring the potential molecular mechanisms, finding diagnostic biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity, and determining new therapeutic targets for HCC are urgently needed. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been found to play a key role in the occurrence and development of HCC, while exosomes play an important role in intercellular communication; thus, the combination of circRNAs and exosomes may have inestimable potential in early diagnosis and curative therapy. Previous studies have shown that exosomes can transfer circRNAs from normal or abnormal cells to surrounding or distant cells; thereafter, circRNAs influence target cells. This review summarizes the recent progress regarding the roles of exosomal circRNAs in the diagnosis, prognosis, occurrence and development and immune checkpoint inhibitor and tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance of HCC to provide inspiration for further research.

Keywords: Biomarker; Circular RNA; Exosome; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Immune therapy; Mechanism

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12672-023-00672-9