The role of exosomal PD-L1 in tumor immunotherapy

Exosomes are bioactive lipid bilayer vesicles released by most cells to mediate intercellular signal communication. Tumor cells release exosomes transmitting signals cell-to-cell and between cells and organs, which will promote tumor angiogenesis, regulate tumor stromal response, immune response, and enhance tumor cells resistance, while exosomes-derived from immune cells in tumor microenvironment play a key role in inhibiting tumor growth and killing tumor cells. Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) combined with Programmed cell death protein ligand 1(PD-L1) can inhibit the activation of T cells, for tumor cells achieve immune escape by overexpressing PD-L1 and binding PD-1 on T cells. The use of anti-PD-1 / PD-L1 antibodies prevents their binding to a certain extent and partially restores T cell's activity. This article mainly discusses the role of exosomal PD-L1 in tumor progression and therapeutic efficacy after application of clinical antibodies, as well as the relation between different reactivity and immunity set points in cancer patients of different races, with different types and at different stages. Besides, we propose that exosomal PD-L1 may become targets for anti-PD-1 / PD-L1 antibody therapy, biomarkers for liquid biopsy, and drug carriers.