Trichomonas Vaginalis Vaginitis
William J. Ledger, Steven S. Witkin in Vulvovaginal Infections, 2017
A recent advance in T. vaginalis biology and immunology is the finding that this parasite releases exosomes into the external milieu.23 Exosomes are membrane-bound vesicles formed in the cytoplasm and whose internal content varies depending on its source. Trichomonad-derived exosomes have been shown to bind to host epithelial cells, release its components into these cells, and thereby facilitate parasite binding and the downmodulation of anti–T. vaginalis immune responses. Interestingly, exosomes isolated from strains that were highly adherent to epithelial cells were shown to transfer this property to poorly adherent T. vaginalis strains following coincubation. Further investigation of this novel mechanism of intercellular communication between divergent pathogen and host species, and its applicability to other diseases, is eagerly awaited.
Medication: Nanoparticles for Imaging and Drug Delivery
Harry F. Tibbals in Medical Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine, 2017
Exosomes are produced naturally from some cells as endosomes are released through the cell membrane, carrying proteins into their surroundings. Exosomes are normally secreted by hematopioetic bone marrow cells that develop into reticulocytes, platelets, B and T lymphocytes, and dendritic cells, through fusion of multivesicular endosomes with the cell’s plasma membrane. Exosomes may mediate intercellular communications, by shipping messages through the transfer of a panel of proteins from one cell to another. This is believed to be a mechanism by which exosomes signal the antitumor action of immune cells, with their protein contents as a source of tumor antigens. By manipulating exosomes and their contents, researchers at Aix-Marseille Université in France have been able to induce apoptosis of pancreatic cancer cells. This could lead to a new type of cancer therapy [375].
The Emerging Role of Exosome Nanoparticles in Regenerative Medicine
Harishkumar Madhyastha, Durgesh Nandini Chauhan in Nanopharmaceuticals in Regenerative Medicine, 2022
Exosomes are nanosized EVs (50–150 nm) originating from multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Various cells could release them into the extracellular environment through membrane fusion. These lipid bilayer nanovesicles are loaded with different cargos such as miRNA, DNA, RNA, lipids, and proteins. Exosomes are involved in different biological pathways such as intercellular communications, signal transferring, antigen presentation, and tumour progression. Their uptake occurs through endocytosis, direct fusion, or receptor–ligand interaction. Exosomes could be isolated and characterised by various methods such as Nanoparticle Tracking Analysis, Dynamic Light Scattering, Electron Microscopy, and Tunable Resistive Pulse Sensing (according to their size, density, surface charge, distinctive biomarkers, and membrane antigens).
Exosomes as secondary inductive signals involved in kidney organogenesis
Published in Journal of Extracellular Vesicles, 2018
Mirja Krause, Aleksandra Rak-Raszewska, Florence Naillat, Ulla Saarela, Christina Schmidt, Veli-Pekka Ronkainen, Geneviève Bart, Seppo Ylä-Herttuala, Seppo J. Vainio
We found that the labelled exosomes not only interacted with the MM cells but also were internalized during the culture, as shown by analysing the superimposed Z-stack projections of the confocal microscopy images (Figure 4(a,b)) and time-lapse images (Supplementary Movie 1). When judging the obtained data, it should be considered that fluorescence microscopy has its limitations in resolution in the range of 390–700 nm wavelengths [42]. This is important, since exosomes are commonly 30–120 nm in diameter. Small particles like this have a limited number of fluorophores that are not bright enough to cross the detection threshold. Thus, due to these current technical limitations, only clusters of fluorescent vesicles can be observed, and a super-resolution microscopic analysis would be necessary to illustrate the exosomal uptake in more detail.
Preterm labor tests: current status and future directions
Published in Critical Reviews in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, 2022
Wei Huang, Serdar Ural, Yusheng Zhu
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are round structures with a lipid bilayer membrane, which include exosomes and microvesicles (MVs). The size of exosomes ranges from 30 to 160 nm. Exosomes are formed inside the intraluminal vesicles of the multivesicular body and released by exocytosis from the cell membrane into the extracellular space. MVs larger than 200 nm are formed by outward budding of the plasma membrane through re-arrangement of lipid rafts [185]. Exosomes carry proteins, mRNA, microRNA, and lipids [186], and they are now believed to play important roles in intercellular communication [187,188]. Roles of exosomes in embryogenesis, implantation, pregnancy, and parturition have been investigated [189–192]. In addition, their roles in common adverse complications of pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, placental dysfunction, have also been reported [193,194]. Regarding the roles of exosomes in PTL, the seminal research done by Menon et al. has formulated a core hypothesis that exosomes released from fetal cells under stimulatory conditions such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and infection are characterized by higher number and altered contents. Fetal exosomes traffic to the maternal side of the placenta and initiate parturition signaling by disturbing immune-regulatory balance, activating several inflammatory pathways, and producing pro-inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, which results in contraction of the uterus and parturition [185,195–198].
Delivery of human natural killer cell-derived exosomes for liver cancer therapy: an in vivo study in subcutaneous and orthotopic animal models
Published in Drug Delivery, 2022
Ho Yong Kim, Hyun-Ki Min, Hyeong-Woo Song, Ami Yoo, Seonmin Lee, Kyu-Pyo Kim, Jong-Oh Park, You Hee Choi, Eunpyo Choi
Here, we confirmed that NK-exo may be a candidate for immunotherapy in solid tumors such as HCC, which can overcome the disadvantages of NK cells. Nevertheless, many studies on NK-exo are still remained. First, exosomes-based delivery system has particular benefits such as specificity, stability, and safety. Their homing characteristic, exosomes can deliver their cargo to specific targets over a long distance. NK-exo may be used as a carrier in drug delivery systems (DDS) to transport other anti-cancer drugs (e.g. paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and sorafenib) or chemicals to the target cells, organs, and tissues through the high loading efficiency for treating various diseases. Second, exosomes can contain many types of biomolecules, including proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids. Bioengineered molecules may help improve the therapeutic effects of NK-exo. Third, the cytokines play a critical role in immune regulation and have been approved for therapeutic applications in cancer therapy. Previous study reported that NK-EV by IL-15 priming enhanced anti-tumor potency in glioblastoma (Zhu et al., 2019). However, the various cytokine effects on the biogenesis of NK-exo are not well known. Finally, the mechanisms of how NK-exo recognize tumor cells or activated immune cells, and exhibit specific effects are still unclear and need further research.