Sheikhhossein Hamid Heydari, Iommelli Francesca, Di Pietro Natalia, Curia Maria Cristina, Piattelli Adriano, Palumbo Rosanna, Roviello Giovanni N, De Rosa Viviana
Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, University "G. d'Annunzio" of Chieti-Pescara, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Villa Serena Foundation for Research, 65013 Città Sant'Angelo, Italy.
Vaccines (Basel). 2024 May 9;12(5):519. doi: 10.3390/vaccines12050519.
Cancer remains one of the main causes of death in the world due to its increasing incidence and treatment difficulties. Although significant progress has been made in this field, innovative approaches are needed to reduce tumor incidence, progression, and spread. In particular, the development of cancer vaccines is currently ongoing as both a preventive and therapeutic strategy. This concept is not new, but few vaccines have been approved in oncology. Antigen-based vaccination emerges as a promising strategy, leveraging specific tumor antigens to activate the immune system response. However, challenges persist in finding suitable delivery systems and antigen preparation methods. Exosomes (EXs) are highly heterogeneous bilayer vesicles that carry several molecule types in the extracellular space. The peculiarity is that they may be released from different cells and may be able to induce direct or indirect stimulation of the immune system. In particular, EX-based vaccines may cause an anti-tumor immune attack or produce memory cells recognizing cancer antigens and inhibiting disease development. This review delves into EX composition, biogenesis, and immune-modulating properties, exploring their role as a tool for prevention and therapy in solid tumors. Finally, we describe future research directions to optimize vaccine efficacy and realize the full potential of EX-based cancer immunotherapy.
由于癌症发病率不断上升且治疗困难,它仍然是全球主要死因之一。尽管该领域已取得显著进展,但仍需要创新方法来降低肿瘤的发病率、进展和扩散。特别是,癌症疫苗的研发目前正在作为一种预防和治疗策略进行。这一概念并不新鲜,但在肿瘤学领域获批的疫苗却很少。基于抗原的疫苗接种作为一种有前景的策略应运而生,它利用特定的肿瘤抗原来激活免疫系统反应。然而,在寻找合适的递送系统和抗原制备方法方面仍然存在挑战。外泌体(EXs)是高度异质的双层囊泡,在细胞外空间携带多种分子类型。其独特之处在于它们可能从不同细胞释放,并且可能能够诱导对免疫系统的直接或间接刺激。特别是,基于外泌体的疫苗可能引发抗肿瘤免疫攻击或产生识别癌症抗原并抑制疾病发展的记忆细胞。本综述深入探讨外泌体的组成、生物发生和免疫调节特性,探索它们作为实体瘤预防和治疗工具的作用。最后,我们描述了未来的研究方向,以优化疫苗疗效并实现基于外泌体的癌症免疫疗法的全部潜力。