Narrow Results

Glomerular mesangial cells (GMCs) activation is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy (DN). Our previous study revealed that high glucose (HG)-treated glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) produce an increased number of TGF-$\beta$1-containing exosomes to activate GMCs through the TGF-$\beta$1/Smad3 signaling pathway. We also identified that Tongxinluo (TXL), a traditional Chinese medicine, has beneficial effects on the treatment of DN in DN patients and type 2 diabetic mice. However, it remained elusive whether TXL could ameliorate renal structure and function through suppression of intercellular transfer of TGF-$\beta$1-containing exosomes from GECs to GMCs. In this study, we demonstrate that TXL can inhibit the secretion of TGF-$\beta$1-containing exosomes from HG-treated GECs. Furthermore, exosomes produced by HG induced-GECs treated with TXL cannot trigger GMC activation, proliferation and extracellular matrix (ECM) overproduction both in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that TXL can prevent the transfer of TGF-$\beta$1 from GECs to GMCs via exosomes, which may be one of the mechanisms of TXL in the treatment of DN.

The following topics are under this section:

• Asia-Pacific — MIT's research enterprise in Singapore (SMART) launches new research group, boosting nation's cell therapy R&D
• Asia-Pacific — Potential cancer treatment strategies for humans from mechanisms behind low cancer occurrence in bats
• Asia-Pacific — Singapore scientists uncover mechanism behind development of viral infections
• Asia-Pacific — Exosomes found to aid in fighting Dengue infection
• Asia-Pacific — National platforms created to accelerate Singapore's drug development efforts
• Rest of the World — Cybersecurity company threat report details cyberattacks targeting the healthcare industry
• Rest of the World — Artificial intelligence – designed influenza vaccine begins clinical trials in the US
• Rest of the World — Clinical – stage biotechnology company presents Murlentamab phase II study results in colorectal cancer

Exosomes are lipid bilayer vesicles released by cells and serve as natural carriers for cell–cell communication. Exosomes provide a promising approach to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and are considered as an alternative to cell therapy. However, one main restriction in their clinical application is that the current understanding of these vesicles, especially their in vivo behaviors and distributions, remains inadequate. Here, we reviewed the current and emerging methods for in vivo imaging and tracking of exosomes, including fluorescence imaging, bioluminescence imaging, nuclear imaging, X-ray imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, photoacoustic imaging, and multimodal imaging. In vivo imaging and tracking of exosomes by these methods can help researchers further understand their uptake mechanism, biodistribution, migration, function, and therapeutic performance. The pioneering studies in this field can elucidate many unknown exosomal behaviors at different levels. We discussed the advantages and limitations of each labeling and imaging strategy. The advances in labeling and in vivo imaging will expand our understanding of exosomes and promote their clinical application. We finally provide a perspective and discuss several important issues that need to be explored in future research. This review highlights the values of efficient, sensitive, and biocompatible exosome labeling and imaging techniques in disease theranostics.

Because the breast cancer is an important factor that threatens women’s lives and health, early diagnosis is helpful for disease screening and a good prognosis. Exosomes are nanovesicles, secreted from cells and other body fluids, which can reflect the genetic and phenotypic status of parental cells. Compared with other methods for early diagnosis of cancer (such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor DNA), exosomes have a richer number and stronger biological stability, and have great potential in early diagnosis. Thus, it has been proposed as promising biomarkers for diagnosis of early-stage cancer. However, distinguishing different exosomes remain is a major biomedical challenge. In this paper, we used predictive Convolutional Neural model to detect and analyze exosomes of normal and cancer cells with surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). As a result, it can be seen from the SERS spectra that the exosomes of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-10A cells have similar peaks (939, 1145 and 1380 cm${}^{-1}$). Based on this dataset, the predictive model can achieve 95% accuracy. Compared with principal component analysis (PCA), the trained CNN can classify exosomes from different breast cancer cells with a superior performance. The results indicate that using the sensitivity of Raman detection and exosomes stable presence in the incubation period of cancer cells, SERS detection combined with CNN screening may be used for the early diagnosis of breast cancer in the future.

Exosomes were discovered more than 30 years ago. Only recently has their importance been recognized for intercellular communication. Exosomes, with their size ranging from 30 nm to 100 nm, are lipid bilayer nanoparticles and secreted by many different types of cells with versatile functions. Exosomes contain macromolecules and exist in various body fluids, including blood, urine, milk and ascites fluid. Due to their specific property, exosomes are very promising in the fields of disease diagnosis and therapy. Nanotechnology is a great tool that will be helpful in basic research and the application of exosomes. Here, we briefly review the function and potential use of exosomes in nanomedicine.

Four properties define exosomes. First, they are tiny bodies–as small as 35 nm in diameter, 1,000 times less than the width of a human hair—that perform key assignments in cell signaling and other biological processes. Second, their size aids in transiting hard-to-navigate tissue boundaries in the body, such as the brain–blood barrier and the gut–blood barrier, optioning an oral administration of therapy in some instances. Third, since they can convey protein peptides, nucleic acids, and small molecule drugs, they represent an amalgam of proteomic, genomic, and lipidomic concepts in biomedicine. And fourth, it is conceivable, exosomes can address any human disease—many of which cannot be accessed today—even using material from other species. Two research groups—in St. Louis and Montreal—first characterized them almost simultaneously in 1984, offering an explanation of how immature red blood cells lost their iron-transporting transferrin receptor when they matured. Their role as intercellular communicators grew in 1996 when researchers at the University of Utrecht showed how exosomes induced a powerful immune response that caused cancerous tumors to regress. They travel in every body fluid: blood, lymph, urine, tears, saliva, cerebrospinal, and mother’s milk. Originally seen in electron micrographs and thought to be inconsequential, they now have a presence in biotechnology as a new platform for diagnostics and therapy, broadly representing proteome medicine. As yet, they have not reached a critical mass for clinical adoption, though their prospects are tantalizing. This piece ends with a prediction—that by 2034, the 50th anniversary of the term exosome, proteome medicine will have several generally recognized as safe and effective exosome-based prescriptions, with China leading the way.

Exosomes are the small extracellular vesicles secreted by almost all living cell types. They are a main component of cellular communication. To mediate intercellular communication, exosomes transport cellular cargo such as proteins, miRNA, nucleic acids, and various metabolites${}^{21}$. Although specifics of their role in cellular physiology have yet to be uncovered, interest in exosomes and their functionality has exploded due to their diverse treatment and diagnostic capabilities. Already, numerous studies have proven the safety, efficacy, and therapeutic potential of exosomes in the treatment of cancers, neurodegenerative disorders, cardiovascular illness, and orthopedic diseases¹. Due to their small size, high membrane permeability, and modifiability, exosomes are of the utmost therapeutic and diagnostic potential${}^{21}$. As exosomes promote cellular regeneration, their role in general dermatology as well as cosmetic dermatology has become prominent. In the past few years, cosmetic dermatology research proves the potential of exosomes in the processes of skin rejuvenation, postprocedural care, and dermal maintenance. Some of the most popular modalities of treatment include hair restoration, photorejuvenation, daily maintenance, and antiaging. This paper will discuss the biological function, isolation methods, and therapeutic role of mesenchymal stem cell-and platelet-derived exosomes in cosmetic dermatology.

Exosomes are lipid bilayer vesicles released by cells and serve as natural carriers for cell–cell communication. Exosomes provide a promising approach to the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and are considered as an alternative to cell therapy. However, one main restriction in their clinical application is that the current understanding of these vesicles, especially their in vivo behaviors and distributions, remains inadequate. Here, we reviewed the current and emerging methods for in vivo imaging and tracking of exosomes, including fluorescence imaging, bioluminescence imaging, nuclear imaging, X-ray imaging, magnetic resonance imaging, photoacoustic imaging, and multimodal imaging. In vivo imaging and tracking of exosomes by these methods can help researchers further understand their uptake mechanism, biodistribution, migration, function, and therapeutic performance. The pioneering studies in this field can elucidate many unknown exosomal behaviors at different levels. We discussed the advantages and limitations of each labeling and imaging strategy. The advances in labeling and in vivo imaging will expand our understanding of exosomes and promote their clinical application. We finally provide a perspective and discuss several important issues that need to be explored in future research. This review highlights the values of efficient, sensitive, and biocompatible exosome labeling and imaging techniques in disease theranostics.