Division of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
NHC Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Key Laboratory of the diagnosis and treatment of organ Transplantation, CAMS, Hangzhou, 310003, China.
Cell Mol Life Sci. 2019 Nov;76(21):4203-4219. doi: 10.1007/s00018-019-03215-0. Epub 2019 Jul 12.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignancies worldwide, with a high mortality rate. Its dismal prognosis is attributed to late diagnosis, high risk of recurrence and drug resistance. To improve the survival of patients with HCC, new approaches are required for early diagnosis, real-time monitoring and effective treatment. Exosomes are small membranous vesicles released by most cells that contain biological molecules and play a great role in intercellular communication under physiological or pathological conditions. In cancer, exosomes from tumor cells or non-tumor cells can be taken up by neighboring or distant target cells, and the cargoes in exosomes are functional to modulate the behaviors of tumors or reshape tumor microenvironment (TME). As essential components, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are selectively enriched in exosomes, and exosomal ncRNAs participate in regulating specific aspects of tumor development, including tumorigenesis, tumor metastasis, angiogenesis, immunomodulation and drug resistance. Besides, dysregulated exosomal ncRNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers, and exosomes can serve as natural vehicles to deliver tumor-suppressed ncRNAs for treatment. In this review, we briefly summarize the biology of exosomes, the functions of exosomal ncRNAs in HCC development and their potential clinical applications, including as biomarkers and therapeutic tools.
肝细胞癌（HCC）是全球最常见的恶性肿瘤之一，死亡率很高。其预后不佳的原因是诊断较晚、复发风险高和耐药性。为了提高 HCC 患者的生存率，需要新的方法来进行早期诊断、实时监测和有效治疗。外泌体是大多数细胞释放的含有生物分子的小膜囊泡，在生理或病理条件下在细胞间通讯中发挥着重要作用。在癌症中，肿瘤细胞或非肿瘤细胞来源的外泌体可以被邻近或远处的靶细胞摄取，外泌体中的货物具有功能，可以调节肿瘤的行为或重塑肿瘤微环境（TME）。作为重要组成部分，非编码 RNA（ncRNA）在外泌体中被选择性富集，外泌体 ncRNA 参与调节肿瘤发生的特定方面，包括肿瘤发生、肿瘤转移、血管生成、免疫调节和耐药性。此外，失调的外泌体 ncRNA 已经成为潜在的生物标志物，外泌体可以作为天然载体来递送肿瘤抑制性 ncRNA 进行治疗。在这篇综述中，我们简要总结了外泌体的生物学特性、外泌体 ncRNA 在 HCC 发展中的作用及其在临床应用中的潜在价值，包括作为生物标志物和治疗工具。
