Li Li-Man, Liu Huan, Liu Xing-Hui, Hu Hong-Bin, Liu Song-Mei
Center for Gene Diagnosis, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, P.R. China.
Department of Pathology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430071, P.R. China.
Oncol Lett. 2019 Jan;17(1):11-22. doi: 10.3892/ol.2018.9631. Epub 2018 Oct 29.
Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. More importantly, the mortality rates for cancer are increasing. In China, lung cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer are the top three leading causes of mortality in males, whereas lung cancer, gastric cancer and liver cancer are ranked the top three causes of mortality in females. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles that are produced and released by many different cells; these vesicles have a size range between 30 and 100 nm in diameter, and contain a lipid bilayer. Exosomes exist in various bodily fluids, contain plentiful amounts of nucleic acids and proteins, and shuttle these materials between cells to mediate the development of cancers. The present review summarizes the composition of exosomes and methods for their isolation and then intensively highlights the latest findings on the contributions of exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) and proteins to lung cancer, liver cancer and gastric cancer. Taken together, exosomal miRNAs and proteins may be used as noninvasive, novel biomarkers for cancer diagnosis, prognosis or precision treatment owing to their ability to promote tumor progression and metastasis, and their ability to regulate the immune response and tumor cell sensitivity to chemotherapy drugs.
癌症是全球第二大死亡原因。更重要的是，癌症死亡率正在上升。在中国，肺癌、肝癌和胃癌是男性死亡的三大主要原因，而肺癌、胃癌和肝癌则是女性死亡的三大主要原因。外泌体是由许多不同细胞产生和释放的细胞外囊泡；这些囊泡直径在30至100纳米之间，含有脂质双层。外泌体存在于各种体液中，含有大量核酸和蛋白质，并在细胞间穿梭这些物质以介导癌症的发展。本综述总结了外泌体的组成及其分离方法，然后重点突出了外泌体微小RNA（miRNA）和蛋白质对肺癌、肝癌和胃癌贡献的最新研究结果。综上所述，外泌体miRNA和蛋白质因其促进肿瘤进展和转移的能力以及调节免疫反应和肿瘤细胞对化疗药物敏感性的能力，可能被用作癌症诊断、预后或精准治疗的非侵入性新型生物标志物。
