Translational Medicine
Open Access

Abstract

Current Exosomes Research in Cellular Physiology, Disease diagnostics and Therapeutic Biomolecules Delivery

Asit Kumar Chakraborty

Lipid molecules form spherical micilles in water environment and can entrap biomolecules easily. Phospholipids and cholesterol are main components of our cell membrane. Phospholipids have two long (C12-22) chain fatty acids with hydrophobic nature making ester bonds with glycerol and the 3rd –OH of glycerol connected to a highly charged phosphate group followed by choline or ethanolamine or sugars. Synthetic phospholipid vacuoles or liposomes entrapped transgenes and can transfer biomolecules into nucleus for transcription and further expression in the ribosome. Such gene transfer technologies in human cells were easy and non-toxic delivery of therapeutic genes into nucleus of target organ corrected the defect gene with improvement of health conditions. Such lipid extracellular vehicles or exosomes (20 nm-200 nm) were also produced naturally from membrane of stress-induced prokaryotic as well as eukaryotic cells and were found to involve in various cellular functions transporting miRNAs, DNAs, proteins, lipids and toxins into multiple distal target organs. Recently, exosomes derived miRNAs were investigated in different cancers. Natural micro-RNAs (miR-21, miR-26a) were increased in cancers and antisense to specific miRNA was found to arrest the growth of specific cancer types. Mesenchymal stem cells derived EVs were also found to inhibit certain cancer progression. The pre-micro RNAs were distributed in chromosomes and usually two 20-22 bases processed miRNAs produced from different parts of the 3-D pre-miRNA requiring processing enzymes like Drosha, Dicer and RISC complex. During viral infections, virus particles were also packaged into exosomes to withstand the host immune clearance. Exosomes were purified by ultracentrifugation or gel exclusion chromatography and then drugs, siRNAs and other biomolecules were incorporated into exosomes by electroporation. In this review, the advancement of exosomes technologies and their uses in therapeutic purposes against cancers, heart diseases, diabetes, AIDS, COVID-19, autoimmune diseases and pathogenic microorganisms have been discussed

Published Date: 2025-01-23;