Exosomes: The Messengers of Health and Disease

Exosomes are small vesicles comprised of a lipid bilayer containing various proteins, RNAs and bioactive lipids. They act as intercellular messengers that give the ability to communicate between both cells of the same type and other cell types. They are released by healthy cells, both constitutively and upon cell activation and play an important role in immune system function. Exosomes are essential for healthy physiological conditions, however under pathological circumstances, they act to potentiate cellular stress and damage. This review explores the characteristics, biogenesis, role(s) in the pathogenesis of diseases and role(s) in progression of cancer of these nano-sized messages-in-a-vesicle: exosomes.