外泌体在肿瘤诊断和治疗中的应用现状与展望

Current situation and prospect of exosomes application in tumor diagnosis and treatment

外泌体是一种由细胞内吞膜的内渗过程产生、大小在30~150 nm的膜性囊泡。外泌体包含大量的生物大分子,如各种酶、蛋白质、mRNA及非编码RNA等,使得其被越来越多地视为细胞间通信和物质交换的重要载体。外泌体与肿瘤生长、血管生成、肿瘤免疫逃逸和转移等过程紧密相关,其在肿瘤领域的研究是当前热点之一。由于其含有供体细胞的大量信息及携带多种重要生物分子,因此可作为生物标志物、药物载体或免疫调节剂,用于肿瘤的诊断和治疗。本文综述了外泌体的基本概念、形成和基本组分、制备和表征,以及其在癌症的诊断(作为生物标志物)和治疗(包括作为药物载体以及作为免疫调节物质)方面的应用,并进行探讨与展望。

Exosomes are membranous vesicles with a size of 30-150 nm that are produced by the endovascular process of the endocytic membrane.Exosomes contain a large number of biological macromolecules,such as various enzymes,proteins,mRNA,and non-coding RNA,which make them increasingly regarded as important carriers in intercellular communication and substance exchange.Exosomes are closely related to the processes of tumor growth,angiogenesis,and tumor immune escape,and metastasis,and the research on exosomes in the field of tumors is one of the current hotspots.Because exosomes contain numerous information of donor cells and carry a variety of important biomolecules,they can be applied as biomarkers,drug carriers,or immunomodulators for tumor diagnosis and treatment.In this review,the basic concept,formation and elemental composition,isolation and characterization of exosomes,as well as their applications in tumor diagnosis(as biomarkers)and treatment(as drug carriers and as immunomodulatory substances)are reviewed,and their prospects are discussed.