EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES AND THEIR THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS: A REVIEW

Background & Aims: Extracellular vesicles are double phospholipid layer vesicles releasing from several cells.  These particles contain bio-molecules including mRNA, miRNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids which play a pivotal role in the cell to cell communication. Once delivered, they participate to change target cell function, fate, morphology, differentiation, and growth. The present study is a review article conducted to study the molecular mechanisms involved in the exosomes biogenesis and their therapeutic applications. Materials & Methods: In the present study, the articles indexed in Scopus, ISI, and PubMed databases were reviewed. Keywords such as extracellular vesicles, exosome, ESCRT, and MVB were used to search the studies. An assembly of 118 articles related to exosome published from 2000 to 2018, were studied. Results:  Exosomes, nano-vesicles ranging from 30-120 nm, are a subfamily of extracellular vesicles secreting from almost cells. The interacted molecular mechanisms involve in the formation, secretion, and uptake of these vesicles. Previous studies showed that exosomes have a pivotal role in the physiological and pathophysiological condition. The findings suggest that exosomes could be used as biomarkers and shuttles of therapeutic agents, especially in the case of diagnosis and therapy of diseases. Conclusion: Exosomes actively participate in the control of biological processes. They can serve as a tool for diagnosis and therapy of various diseases. In spite of the progress in the biology of exosomes and their application, there are still more questions about their application.