Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece.
University Research Institute of Maternal and Child Health and Precision Medicine, and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 'Aghia Sophia' Children's Hospital, 11527 Athens, Greece.
Mol Med Rep. 2021 Jan;23(1). doi: 10.3892/mmr.2020.11664. Epub 2020 Nov 12.
Studies on extracellular vesicles have increased in recent years. The multi‑dimensional nature of their roles in cellular homeostasis, cell‑to‑cell and tissue‑to‑tissue communication at the level of the organism, as well as their actions on the holobiome (intra‑/interspecies interaction), have garnered the interest of a large number of researchers. Exosomes are one of the most researched classes of extracellular vesicles because they are carriers of targeted protein and DNA/RNA loads. Their multi‑functional cargo have been indicated to regulate a vast number of biological pathways in target cells. However, the mechanisms governing these interactions have not yet been fully determined. Endocrinology, by definition, focuses on homeostatic, and cell‑to‑cell and tissue‑to‑tissue communication mechanisms. Therefore exosomes should be included in this research topic. Exosomes have previously been associated with a number of endocrine disorders, including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, disorders of the reproductive system and cancer. Furthermore, their biogenesis, composition and function have been associated with viruses, an entirely different domain of life. The profound roles of exosomes in homeostasis, stress and several pathological conditions, in conjunction with their selective and cell‑specific composition/function, allude to their use as promising circulating clinical biomarkers of systemic stress and specific pathologic states, and as biocompatible vehicles of therapeutic cargo. The current review provides information on exosomes and discusses their endocrine implications.
近年来，细胞外囊泡的研究不断增加。它们在细胞内稳态、细胞间和组织间水平的生物体通讯中的多维作用，以及它们对全生物群（种内/种间相互作用）的作用，引起了大量研究人员的兴趣。外泌体是研究最多的细胞外囊泡之一，因为它们是靶向蛋白和 DNA/RNA 负载的载体。它们的多功能货物已被表明可调节靶细胞中大量的生物学途径。然而，控制这些相互作用的机制尚未完全确定。内分泌学的定义侧重于内稳态以及细胞间和组织间通讯机制。因此，外泌体应该包含在这个研究课题中。外泌体先前与许多内分泌疾病有关，包括肥胖、2 型糖尿病、生殖系统疾病和癌症。此外，它们的生物发生、组成和功能与病毒有关，病毒是生命的完全不同领域。外泌体在维持内稳态、应激和几种病理状况中的深远作用，以及它们的选择性和细胞特异性组成/功能，暗示它们可用作全身性应激和特定病理状态的有前途的循环临床生物标志物，以及作为治疗性货物的生物相容载体。本综述提供了有关外泌体的信息，并讨论了它们的内分泌学意义。
