Department of Human Genetics & Molecular Biology, University of Health Sciences, Lahore 54600, Pakistan.
Allama Iqbal Medical College, Jinnah Hospital, Lahore 54700, Pakistan.
Biomolecules. 2024 Jul 3;14(7):792. doi: 10.3390/biom14070792.
The vast regenerative potential of stem cells has laid the foundation for stem cell-based therapies. However, certain challenges limit the application of cell-based therapies. The therapeutic use of cell-free therapy can avoid limitations associated with cell-based therapies. Acellular stem cell-based therapies rely on the use of biological factors released by stem cells, including growth factors and extracellular vesicles such as exosomes. Due to their comparable regenerative potential, acellular therapies may provide a feasible and scalable alternative to stem cell-based therapies. Exosomes are small vesicles secreted by various types of cells, including stem cells. Exosomes contain parent cell-derived nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and other bioactive molecules. They play an important role in intra-cellular communication and influence the biological characteristics of cells. Exosomes inherit the properties of their parent cells; therefore, stem cell-derived exosomes are of particular interest for applications of regenerative medicine. In comparison to stem cell-based therapy, exosome therapy offers several benefits, such as easy transport and storage, no risk of immunological rejection, and few ethical dilemmas. Unlike stem cells, exosomes can be lyophilized and stored off-the-shelf, making acellular therapies standardized and more accessible while reducing overall treatment costs. Exosome-based acellular treatments are therefore readily available for applications in patients at the time of care. The current review discusses the use of exosomes as an acellular therapy. The review explores the molecular mechanism of exosome biogenesis, various methods for exosome isolation, and characterization. In addition, the latest advancements in bioengineering techniques to enhance exosome potential for acellular therapies have been discussed. The challenges in the use of exosomes as well as their diverse applications for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases have been reviewed in detail.
干细胞的巨大再生潜力为基于干细胞的治疗奠定了基础。然而，某些挑战限制了细胞疗法的应用。无细胞治疗的治疗用途可以避免与基于细胞的治疗相关的限制。基于无细胞的干细胞治疗依赖于干细胞释放的生物因子的使用，包括生长因子和细胞外囊泡，如外泌体。由于其具有相当的再生潜力，无细胞疗法可能为基于干细胞的疗法提供一种可行且可扩展的替代方案。外泌体是各种类型的细胞（包括干细胞）分泌的小囊泡。外泌体包含源自亲代细胞的核酸、蛋白质、脂质和其他生物活性分子。它们在细胞内通讯中发挥重要作用，并影响细胞的生物学特性。外泌体继承了其亲代细胞的特性；因此，干细胞衍生的外泌体对于再生医学的应用特别感兴趣。与基于干细胞的治疗相比，外泌体治疗具有许多优势，例如易于运输和储存、无免疫排斥风险和较少的伦理问题。与干细胞不同，外泌体可以冻干并在货架上储存，使无细胞治疗标准化且更容易获得，同时降低总体治疗成本。因此，基于外泌体的无细胞治疗在护理时即可用于患者。本综述讨论了外泌体作为一种无细胞疗法的应用。该综述探讨了外泌体生物发生的分子机制、各种外泌体分离方法和表征。此外，还讨论了生物工程技术的最新进展，以增强外泌体在无细胞治疗中的潜力。详细讨论了外泌体使用中的挑战及其在疾病诊断和治疗中的多种应用。
