Ischemic stroke （IS） is the most common type of stroke that can lead to severe neurological dysfunction while effective diagnostic and therapeutic methods are currently limited. Exosomes are natural vesicles that can play a key role in intercellular communication by delivering proteins， lipids， and nucleic acids. Notably，IS could cause changes in the level and content of exosome， which can serve as a potential biomarker to assist the diagnosis and treatment of IS. This article reviews the potential diagnostic value of exosomes，discusses their repair effects， and explores the potential application as drug carriers in IS. We also provide a concise summary of the current clinical research status based on exosomes.
Exosomes ; Diagnosis

A drug delivery system of forsythoside A-loaded exosomes(FTA-Exos) with high biocompatibility and low immunogenicity was established to investigate its impact on the migration of human lung epithelial adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The exosomes from A549 cells were extracted and purified by ultra-high speed centrifugation and ultrafiltration. FTA-Exos were prepared by ultrasonic incubation, and characterized by particle size analysis, transmission electron microscopy, and Western blot assay. The uptake of FTA-Exos by A549 cells was observed under the laser confocal microscope, and the impact of FTA-Exos on the migration of A549 cells was investigated by cell scratch assay. The results showed that the average particle size of the prepared FTA-Exos was(138.90±2.37) nm, which increased slightly after drug loading. The PDI was 0.291±0.013, and the average potential was(-10.1±0.66) mV. The FTA-Exos were spheroidal in appearance as observed by transmission electron microscope, with an obvious saucer-like double-layer membrane. Western blot assay indicated that the specific proteins CD63 and Alix were both expressed in exosomes. The laser confocal microscopy suggested that FTA-Exos were taken up by A549 cells and stably maintained in the cell for 4-8 h, and the fluorescence was significantly enhanced at 4 h. The scratch assay showed that the inhibitory effect of FTA-Exos on the migration of A549 cells was significantly stronger than that of forsythoside A(P < 0.05). In conclusion, the drug delivery system of FTA-Exos established in this study had good stability, reliable preparation process, and potent inhibitory effect on the migration of A549 cells in vitro, which can provide an important reference for subsequent in-depth research and application.
Exosomes ; Glycosides ; Humans

Atherosclerosis ; Exosomes ; Humans

We developed a high-efficiency microfluidic chip for extracting exosomes from human plasma. We collected peripheral blood from normal human, designed and fabricated a microfluidic chip based on nanoporous membrane and agarose gel electrophoresis to isolate exosomes. The extracted exosomes were characterized by transmission electron microscopy, nanosight and Western blotting, the morphology, concentration and particle size of exosomes were identified and analyzed. Meanwhile, we used ultracentrifugation and microfluidic chip to isolate exosomes separately. The particle size and concentration of the exosomes extracted by two methods were compared and analyzed, and their respective extraction efficiency was discussed. Finally, the expression level of miRNA-21 in exosomes was analyzed by RT-PCR. The microfluidic chip isolated (in 1 hour) high-purity exosomes with size ranging from 30-200 nm directly from human plasma, allowing downstream exosomal miRNA analysis. By comparing with ultracentrifugation, the isolation yield of microfluidic chip was 3.80 times higher than ultracentrifugation when the volume of plasma sample less than 100 μL. The optimized parameters for exosome isolation by gel electrophoresis microfluidic chip were: voltage: 100 V; concentration of agarose gel: 1.0%; flow rate of injection pump: 0.1 mL/h. The gel electrophoresis microfluidic chips could rapidly and efficiently isolate the exosomes, showing great potential in the research of exosomes and cancer biomarkers.
Exosomes ; Humans ; MicroRNAs/genetics* ; Microfluidics ; Plasma ; Ultracentrifugation

In this study, CiteSpace was used to conduct bibliometric statistics and visualization of the research papers on the exosomes in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and application status in CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Web of Science. The authors, research institutions, and keywords of the relevant papers were analyzed to summarize the research status, hotspots, and development trends of TCM application of exosomes, thereby providing references for future research. A total of 340 Chinese papers and 9 English papers were included. In Chinese papers, GUO Hai-dong is the author with the largest amount of research papers, and his research interest is the mechanism of electroacupuncture in promoting functional recovery after sciatic nerve injury by regulating the release of exosomes. Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine is the research institution with the largest amount of papers, followed by Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Hunan University of Chinese Medicine. There was less cooperation among these research institutions, and cooperation between teams and agencies should be strengthened. The overall volume of publications in English was comparatively small, and the connections between the authors were weak. The publishing organizations were mostly distributed in medical schools, hospitals, comprehensive universities, and the cooperation between institutions was scattered. The main keywords in Chinese papers include microRNA, mesenchymal stem cells, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, mechanism of action, and extracellular vesicles. The research of exosomes in TCM is increasing in recent years. The research hotspot is that exosomes can both serve as biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of certain diseases in TCM and drug carriers of Chinese medicine for targeted treatment of diseases. Keyword prominence suggested that exosomes derived from osteoblasts and macrophages in the treatment of diseases might still be a future research trend.
Bibliometrics ; China ; Exosomes ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Publications

Exosomes are nanosized small membrane microvesicles of endocytic origin secreted by most cell types. Exosomes, through its carrying protein or RNA from derived cells, affect gene regulation networks or epigenetic reorganization of receptor cell, and then modulate the physiological processes of cells. Studies have shown that external exosomes secreted by breast cancer cells or other cells play an important role in the development of tumor, including cell migration, cell differentiation and the immune response, etc. In this article, the latest studies were summarized to provide an overview of current understanding of exosomes in breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms ; Cell Movement ; Exosomes ; Humans ; RNA

More and more evidence indicates that microvesicles (MVs) play a key role in cell-to-cell communication. The MVs are circular fragments of membrane released from the endosomal compartment as exosomes or shed from the cell surface membranes of most types. Components of donor cells are incorporated into MVs that contain bioactive lipids, proteins, genetic cargoes. MVs derived from stem cells may reprogram cells that survived in injury tissue and favor tissue regeneration by delivering their bioactive cargoes to influence the behaviors of recipient cells. Compared with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), MVs derived from MSCs were found to mimic the beneficial effects of these cells. These proregenerative effects mediated by MVs can be explained by the fact that MVs are enriched in bioactive lipids, anti-apoptotic and pro-stimulatory growth factors or cytokines, and deliver mRNAs, regulatory miRNAs and proteins that improve overall cell function. Therefore, it opens novel perspectives in exploiting these MVs in tissue regeneration and repair. In addition, the use of MVs instead of stem cells could represent a safe and potentially more advantageous alternative to cell-therapy approaches.
Exosomes ; Humans ; Regeneration ; Stem Cells ; cytology

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) not only eliminate unwanted molecular components, but also carry molecular cargo essential for specific intercellular communication mechanisms. As the molecular characteristics and biogenetical mechanisms of heterogeneous EVs are different, many studies have attempted to purify and characterize EVs. In particular, exosomal molecules, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, have been suggested as disease biomarkers or therapeutic targets in various diseases. However, several unresolved issues and challenges remain despite these promising results, including source variability before the isolation of exosomes from body fluids, the contamination of proteins during isolation, and methodological issues related to the purification of exosomes. This paper reviews the general characteristics of EVs, particularly microvesicles and exosomes, along with their physiological roles and contribution to the pathogenesis of major diseases, several widely used methods to isolate exosomes, and challenges in the development of disease biomarkers using the molecular contents of EVs isolated from body fluids.
Biomarkers* ; Body Fluids ; Exosomes ; Extracellular Vesicles* ; Nucleic Acids

Exosomes are in a size of 30-100 nm vesicles released by various cells, with a double-layered lipid membrane containing DNA, RNA, and protein. In the past, exosomes were considered to be molecular waste, and recently exosomes have been shown to be involved in many pathophysiological processes, including intercellular communication, immune response, nerve repair, and tumorigenesis. Exosomes are present in numerous body fluids, and urinary exosomes have been shown to be biomarkers of a variety of kidney diseases.
Biomarkers ; Cell Communication ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Kidney Diseases ; Proteins

Exosomes are nanoscale vectors with a diameter of 30~100 nm secreted by living cells, and they are important media for intercellular communication. Recent studies have demonstrated that exosomes can not only serve as biomarkers for diagnosis, but also have great potential as natural drug delivery vectors. Exosomes can be loaded with therapeutic cargos, including small molecules, proteins, and oligonucleotides. Meanwhile, the unique biological compatibility, high stability, and tumor targeting of exosomes make them attractive in future tumor therapy. Though exosomes can effectively deliver bioactive materials to receptor cells, there is a wide gap between our current understanding of exosomes and their application as ideal drug delivery systems. In this review, we will briefly introduce the function and composition of exosomes, and mainly summarize the potential advantages and challenges of exosomes as drug carriers. Finally, this review is expected to provide new ideas for the development of exosome-based drug delivery systems.
Biomarkers ; Drug Carriers ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Exosomes ; Humans ; Neoplasms