外泌体应用于肝细胞癌诊疗的研究进展

Progress in application of exosomes for the diagnosis and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma

已知外泌体有多种生物学功能,包括参与免疫反应和抗原提呈,尤其是作为囊泡可以在细胞间运输蛋白、病毒、脂质和RNA。外泌体是一种重要的细胞间物质和信息交流的工具,它通过在细胞间传递基因和蛋白信号,调节肿瘤微环境,从而介导肝癌细胞的凋亡、分化、血管生成和转移。早期诊断对提高肝细胞癌患者的生存率极其重要。因此,有研究认为,外泌体可以作为一种新的分子标志物用于肝癌诊断,并且可以用作肝癌治疗的潜在靶标。本文即对外泌体在肝癌中的作用机制和临床应用做一综述。

Exosomes have a variety of biological functions, including immune response, antigen presentation, and intracellular communication by serving as vehicles for transporting proteins, virus, lipids, and RNA. As an important materials- and information-exchange tool between cells, the exosomes can regulate tumor microenvironment by transfering the intercellular proteins and genetic signals, then mediate apoptosis, differentiation, angiogenesis, and metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） cells. On the other hand, an important approach to improve the long-term survival of HCC patients is early diagnosis. Therefore, the exosomes might be used as new molecular biomarkers for diagnosis of HCC, and can be used as potential therapeutic targets for treatment of HCC. In this review, the mechanisms and clinical applications of exosomes in HCC are summarized.