Extracellular Vesicles: A Comprehensive Review of Their Origins, Functions, and Therapeutic Potential

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Science
• Cell Biology
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are vital for intercellular communication, carrying diverse molecular cargo.
• Exosomes, a subtype of EVs, originate from the endosomal pathway and are crucial in biological processes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of EV/exosome origins, biological functions, and isolation/characterization methods.
• To explore the therapeutic potential of EVs/exosomes in various disease contexts.
• To highlight challenges and the need for standardization in exosome medicine.

Main Methods:

• Isolation techniques including ultracentrifugation, tangential flow filtration, size-exclusion chromatography, and affinity capture.
• Characterization methods such as nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), electron microscopy (TEM, cryo-EM), AFM, Western blotting, flow cytometry, and DLS.
• Overview of EV sourcing, production, purification, and drug delivery strategies.

Main Results:

• EVs/exosomes are implicated in intercellular communication and disease.
• Diverse methods exist for EV isolation and characterization, each with pros and cons.
• EVs/exosomes show promise as diagnostic biomarkers, therapeutics, and drug delivery vehicles.

Conclusions:

• EVs/exosomes represent a rapidly advancing frontier with significant clinical promise.
• Standardization of EV sourcing, production, and purification is essential for clinical translation.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges in scalable production and drug delivery for exosome medicine.