外泌体在肝癌中作用的研究进展

Research progress in the role of exosomes in hepatocellular carcinoma

外泌体(exosome)是一种具有脂质双分子层膜结构的微小囊泡,直径为30~100 nm,几乎可由所有细胞分泌,含有细胞特异的蛋白质、脂质和核酸等物质,能把信号分子传递给靶细胞从而改变其生物学功能。目前对于外泌体在肝癌中作用的研究引起了广泛关注。由于外泌体的内容物可以反映其来源细胞的特性,从而区分正常组织和病变组织,并在人体内广泛存在且获取便捷,故有望成为肝癌检测、诊断和治疗的生物标志物。本文对外泌体miRNA在肝癌发展过程中潜在的生物学效应及外泌体在肝癌中的相关作用作一综述。

Exosome is a kind of microvesicles with lipid bilayer membrane and a diameter approximately ranging from 30 to 100 nanometers>which can be secreted by almost all kinds of cells.Exosome contains cell-specific proteins?lipids and nucleic acids,etc,and can transfer signaling molecules to target cells and change their biological functions.Researches on the role of exosomes in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)have drawn broad attention.Since the contents of exosomes can reflect the characteristics of their source cells,which can help distinguishing diseased tissues from normal ones,also for its universality in our body and convenience to obtain,exosomes are expected to serve as biomarkers of HCC for its detection,diagnosis and treatment.This review will focus on the potential biological effects of exosomal miRNA in the developmental process of hepatocellular carcinoma and the relevant role of exosomes in HCC.