bims-exocan 2025-04-27 papers

Issue of 2025–04–27
four papers selected by
Muhammad Rizwan, COMSATS University

Cell Death Discov. 2025 Apr 24. 11(1): 196

Exosomal circRNAs: key modulators in breast cancer progression.

Guozhen Liu, Quan Liu, Lingmei Jia, Zhi Chai, Li Jing, Fangjing Xu, Yucheng Fan.

Breast cancer (BC) poses significant challenges globally, necessitating a deeper understanding of its complexities. Exosomes are cell-specific secreted extracellular vesicles of interest, characterized by a lipid bilayer structure. Exosomes can carry a variety of bioactive components, including nucleic acids, lipids, amino acids, and small molecules, to mediate intercellular signaling. CircRNAs are a novel class of single-stranded RNA molecules, characterized by a closed-loop structure. CircRNAs mainly exert ceRNA functions to intricately modulate gene expression and signaling pathways in breast cancer, influencing tumor progression and therapeutic responses. The unique packaging of circRNAs within exosomes serves as novel genetic information transmitters, facilitating communication between BC cells and microenvironmental cells, thereby regulating critical aspects of BC progression, immune evasion, and drug resistance. Besides, exosomal circRNAs possess the capabilities of serving as diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of BC, due to their stability, specificity, and regulatory roles in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Therefore, this review aims to elucidate the novel roles and mechanisms of exosomal circRNAs in BC progression, as well as their potential for diagnosis and therapeutics. The ongoing investigations of exosomal circRNAs will potentially revolutionize treatment paradigms and improve patient outcomes of BC.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02494-w

Front Immunol. 2025 ;16 1512480

Crosstalk between exosomes and tumor-associated macrophages in hepatocellular carcinoma: implication for cancer progression and therapy.

Ying Xu, Linyue Xu, Qiuyan Chen, Can Zou, Ju Huang, Limei Zhang.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most prevalent type of primary liver cancer, represents a significant cause of cancer-related mortality. While our understanding of its pathogenesis is comparatively comprehensive, the influence of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on its progression warrants additional investigation. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have significant impacts on cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and immune response, facilitating a complex interaction within the TME. Exosomes, which measure between 30 and 150 nanometers in size, are categorized into small extracellular vesicles, secreted by a wide range of eukaryotic cells. They can transfer biological molecules including proteins, non-coding RNAs, and lipids, which mediates the intercellular communication within the TME. Emerging evidence has revealed that exosomes regulate macrophage polarization, thus impacting cancer progression and immune responses within the TME of HCC. Moreover, TAM-derived exosomes also play crucial roles in malignant transformation, which hold immense potential for cancer therapy. In this review, we elaborate on the crosstalk between exosomes and TAMs within TME during HCC development. Moreover, we delve into the feasible treatment approaches for exosomes in cancer therapy and emphasize the limitations and challenges for the translation of exosomes derived from TAMs into clinical courses for cancer therapy, which may provide new perspectives on further ameliorations of therapeutic regimes based on exosomes to advance their clinical applications.

Keywords: exosome; hepatocellular carcinoma; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment; tumor-associated macrophage

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1512480

Mol Biol Rep. 2025 Apr 24. 52(1): 421

Exosome-based cancer vaccine: a cell-free approach.

Swarup Sonar, Asmit Das, Ketki Kalele, Vetriselvan Subramaniyan.

Despite advancements in medical research, cancer remains a significant and persistent cause of death globally. Cancer vaccine, a novel approach, holds immense promise in development of potentially effective cancer treatment. While the concept of developing cancer vaccines has been explored for decades, significant challenges have hindered their clinical translation. Recent researchers have introduced exosomes as the key element for novel cell-free approach of cancer vaccines. Exosomes are a type of extracellular vesicle (EVs) secreted by various cells. These tiny structures can transport and deliver important biomolecules, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, lipids, and immune-stimulatory molecules, to stimulate the body's anti-tumor immune response. Their biocompatibility, targeting ability, immunogenicity, and a notable capacity to cross biological barriers nominate them as promising candidates for cancer vaccine development by addressing current challenges in cancer therapy. This review explores the current state of knowledge on the efficacy of exosomes from various sources for personalized cancer vaccine development, preclinical and clinical evaluations, along with the strategies to optimize immunogenicity and antigen presentation. We also discuss the challenges and potential solutions for overcoming tumor microenvironment-related hurdles, highlighting the promise of exosome-based approaches for cancer immunotherapy by developing a novel cell-free cancer vaccine in future.

Keywords: Cancer; Exosome ; Metastasis; Therapeutic exosomes; Vaccine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-10519-x

Clin Exp Med. 2025 Apr 24. 25(1): 127

Exosome-based immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hong Liu, GuoWei Wang, ZhaoYi Li, XianTu Zhang, WeiDong Zhang, Xia Zhang, Fang Liu, Jing Gao.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a significant global health concern and ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-associated mortality. Systemic therapy faces the emergence of resistance, which hinders the clinical benefits. Recent evidence suggests that exosomes, measuring between 30 and 150 nm in size, which impact the antitumor immune responses, making them a promising candidate for cancer immunotherapy. Owing to their unique physical and chemical characteristics, exosomes can be tailored and engineered for a range of therapeutic objectives. In the present review, we outline the immunomodulatory functions of exosomes in the tumor microenvironment (TME) of HCC, aiming to decipher the underlying mechanisms of exosomes in remodeling suppressive TME. Moreover, we provide detailed and intuitive resource for leveraging the potential of exosomes in immunotherapy, presenting valuable strategies to improve and optimize HCC treatment. Despite the huge therapeutic potential of exosomes, significant challenges persist, including the need for standardization in exosome production, optimization of cargo loading techniques, and the assurance of safety and effectiveness in clinical applications. Addressing these challenges may pave the way for exosome-based immunotherapy for HCC patients.

Keywords: Exosomes; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Immunotherapy; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor vaccine

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10238-025-01659-2