Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Medical Science and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, Jiangsu, China.
Department of Clinical Laboratory Medicine, Nantong Tumor Hospital, Nantong, 226361, Jiangsu, China.
Mol Cancer. 2022 Feb 18;21(1):56. doi: 10.1186/s12943-022-01509-9.
Liquid biopsy, characterized by minimally invasive detection through biofluids such as blood, saliva, and urine, has emerged as a revolutionary strategy for cancer diagnosis and prognosis prediction. Exosomes are a subset of extracellular vesicles (EVs) that shuttle molecular cargoes from donor cells to recipient cells and play a crucial role in mediating intercellular communication. Increasing studies suggest that exosomes have a great promise to serve as novel biomarkers in liquid biopsy, since large quantities of exosomes are enriched in body fluids and are involved in numerous physiological and pathological processes. However, the further clinical application of exosomes has been greatly restrained by the lack of high-quality separation and component analysis methods. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview on the conventional and novel technologies for exosome isolation, characterization and content detection. Additionally, the roles of exosomes serving as potential biomarkers in liquid biopsy for the diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognosis prediction of cancer are summarized. Finally, the prospects and challenges of applying exosome-based liquid biopsy to precision medicine are evaluated.
液体活检通过血液、唾液和尿液等生物液体进行微创检测，已成为癌症诊断和预后预测的革命性策略。外泌体是细胞外囊泡 (EVs) 的一个子集，它将分子货物从供体细胞传递到受体细胞，并在介导细胞间通讯中发挥关键作用。越来越多的研究表明，外泌体有望成为液体活检中的新型生物标志物，因为大量外泌体富集在体液中，并参与许多生理和病理过程。然而，由于缺乏高质量的分离和成分分析方法，外泌体的进一步临床应用受到了极大的限制。本综述旨在全面概述外泌体分离、表征和内容检测的常规和新型技术。此外，还总结了外泌体作为液体活检中潜在生物标志物在癌症诊断、治疗监测和预后预测中的作用。最后，评估了基于外泌体的液体活检在精准医学中的应用前景和挑战。
