School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, People's Republic of China.
Department of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, People's Republic of China.
Int J Nanomedicine. 2020 Dec 29;15:10519-10538. doi: 10.2147/IJN.S277190. eCollection 2020.
Exosomes, nanoscale vesicles with a diameter of 30 to 150 nm, are composed of a lipid bilayer, protein, and genetic material. Exosomes are secreted by virtually all types of cells in the human body. They have key functions in cell-to-cell communication, immune regulation, inflammatory response, and neovascularization. Mounting evidence indicates that exosomes play an important role in various diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and brain diseases; however, the role that exosomes play in eye diseases has not yet been rigorously studied. This review covers current exosome research as it relates to ocular diseases including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, autoimmune uveitis, glaucoma, traumatic optic neuropathies, corneal diseases, retinopathy of prematurity, and uveal melanoma. In addition, we discuss recent advances in the biological functions of exosomes, focusing on the toxicity of exosomes and the use of exosomes as biomarkers and drug delivery vesicles. Finally, we summarize the primary considerations and challenges to be taken into account for the effective applications of exosomes.
外泌体是一种直径为 30 至 150nm 的纳米级囊泡，由脂质双层、蛋白质和遗传物质组成。外泌体几乎由人体所有类型的细胞分泌。它们在细胞间通讯、免疫调节、炎症反应和新血管生成中具有关键功能。越来越多的证据表明，外泌体在各种疾病中发挥着重要作用，如癌症、心血管疾病和脑部疾病；然而，外泌体在眼部疾病中的作用尚未得到严格研究。本综述涵盖了与眼部疾病相关的外泌体研究现状，包括糖尿病视网膜病变、年龄相关性黄斑变性、自身免疫性葡萄膜炎、青光眼、创伤性视神经病变、角膜疾病、早产儿视网膜病变和葡萄膜黑色素瘤。此外，我们还讨论了外泌体生物学功能的最新进展，重点关注外泌体的毒性以及外泌体作为生物标志物和药物递送载体的应用。最后，我们总结了有效应用外泌体需要考虑的主要问题和挑战。
