外泌体作为药物递送载体的研究进展

外泌体(exosomes)是一种由细胞分泌的纳米尺度(40~100 nm)的囊泡,在细胞间物质运输和信号交流中发挥重要作用。外泌体在大小和功能上与合成的纳米颗粒类似,但作为天然内源性转运载体,具有毒性低、无免疫原性、渗透性好等优势,故可能成为更有应用前景的药物递送载体。本文主要介绍了外泌体的基本性质和获得方法、载药方法及其作为纳米载体在小分子和生物大分子药物递送和靶向研究中的应用进展情况,并分析探讨了外泌体在载药和靶向递送方面的不足。

Research Progress of Exosomes Applied as Drug Carriers

Exosomes are nanoscale(40-100 nm)vesicles secreted by cells that play an important role in intercellular material transport and signal communication.Exosomes are similar in size and function to synthetic nanoparticles,but as natural endogenous transport carriers,they have the advantages such as low toxicity,no immunogenicity,and good permeability.So,exosomes may become promising drug delivery vehicles.Herein,we provide a comprehensive understanding of the properties and applications of exosomes,including their biogenesis,composition,isolation,drug loading methods for small molecules and biologic macromolecules,and typical examples in drug delivery and therapy.Furthermore,their advantages compared with other nanoparticles and potential in tumor therapy are also discussed.Nevertheless,some challenges remain regarding the loading and targeting of exosomes for which more researches are necessary,and have been discussed in this review.