bims-exocan 2025-11-16 papers

Issue of 2025–11–16
five papers selected by
Muhammad Rizwan, COMSATS University

Cell Biochem Funct. 2025 Nov;43(11): e70140

Progress of Exosomes in Cancer Immunotherapy.

Yueyou Wang, Jingyuan Wang, Han Li, Siyun Deng, Yanli Li.

Cancer immunotherapy, focusing on breaking tumor microenvironment (TME) immunosuppression, is limited by heterogeneity and drug resistance. Exosomes, 30-150 nm extracellular vesicles(EVs) carrying proteins, lipids, and noncoding RNAs, mediate intercellular communication and play dual roles in tumors. This review explores their multifaceted functions in cancer immunotherapy: in TME, tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) drive immunosuppression, cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs) activation, and angiogenesis to promote progression and immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) resistance; diagnostically, exosomal biomolecules (e.g., urinary miR-424/423/660/let-7i, serum LINC01125) serve as sensitive liquid biopsy markers for early detection and monitoring; therapeutically, engineered exosomes (e.g., DC-derived antigen-loaded ones) activate antitumor immunity and reverse ICIs resistance. These findings highlight exosomes' potential as diagnostic and therapeutic tools, laying a foundation for personalized cancer treatment.

Keywords: cancer immunotherapy; exosomes; noncoding RNAs

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/cbf.70140

Oncol Lett. 2026 Jan;31(1): 21

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes: Regulators of progression and suppression in pancreatic cancer (Review).

Haoyan Zhuang, Xuewen Shi.

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant digestive tract tumor with a poor prognosis. It remains one of the most challenging malignancies due to difficulties in early diagnosis and the development of chemotherapy resistance in advanced stages. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a distinct type of non-hematopoietic stem cells, play a crucial role in the tumor microenvironment owing to their unique tumor-homing capacity and immunomodulatory properties, which are largely mediated by their derived exosomes (EXOs). EXOs derived from MSCs can regulate the growth, invasion and metastasis of pancreatic cancer through the activation of specific signaling pathways. Furthermore, they have emerged as promising drug delivery vehicles and have demonstrated potential in anti-pancreatic cancer therapy. However, within the highly fibrotic tumor microenvironment of pancreatic cancer, the functions of MSC-derived EXOs are complex and dualistic, exhibiting both tumor-suppressive and tumor-promoting effects. Understanding the precise roles of MSC-derived EXOs in pancreatic cancer is essential for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. The present review systematically summarizes the dual regulatory mechanisms of MSC-derived EXOs in pancreatic cancer, elucidates the key molecules and signaling pathways involved, and discusses their clinical potential as novel therapeutic targets or drug delivery systems.

Keywords: chemotherapy resistance; immunomodulation; mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes; pancreatic cancer; tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2025.15374

Korean J Intern Med. 2025 Nov;40(6): 939-951

Exosomal miRNA-720 as a potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Ji Min Kim, Hye Seon Kim, Jin Seoub Kim, Ji Won Han, Soon Kyu Lee, Heechul Nam, Pil Soo Sung, Si Hyun Bae, Jong Young Choi, Seung Kew Yoon, Jeong Won Jang.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Circulating exosomal microRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for cancer. This study aimed to identify specific miRNAs in serum exosomes of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and validate their biological functions as novel diagnostic and predictive biomarkers.
METHODS: Serum exosomal miRNAs in patients with HCC (n = 241) and without HCC (n = 45) were measured by qRT-PCR. The role of exosomal miRNAs in HCC was investigated through in vitro tests and verified in a clinical cohort of patients.
RESULTS: In vitro, we observed delivery of exosomal miRNA-720 (miR-720) to recipient cells. Exosome-mediated miR-720 promoted proliferation and inhibited apoptosis of recipient HCC cells. Exosomal miR-720 inhibited tumor suppressor StarD13 expression in recipient cells. Additionally, exosomal miR-720 promoted stemness in recipient cells by increasing protein expression of stemness-associated markers such as OCT4 and c-MYC. In our cohort, serum exosomal miR-720 was significantly upregulated in HCC patients than in non-HCC patients, showing an excellent diagnostic performance for HCC. Particularly, exosomal miR-720 exhibited superior performance in diagnosing small HCC (< 2 cm) compared to AFP or DCP. Exosomal miR-720 levels positively correlated with advancing tumor stage and size. Patients with high expression of exosomal miR-720 had significantly shorter time to progression than those with low expression of exosomal miR-720 during transarterial chemoembolization (TACE).
CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that exosomal miR-720 plays an oncogenic role in HCC by targeting StarD13. Circulating exosomal miR-720 could be used as a novel diagnostic and therapeutic biomarker and serve as a guide for selecting treatment options including TACE for HCC.

Keywords: Biomarkers; Exosomes; Liver neoplasms; MicroRNAs; Stem cells

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3904/kjim.2024.439

ACS Appl Bio Mater. 2025 Nov 14.

Engineered Exosomes as Programmable Nanocarriers for Targeted Theranostic and Translational Applications.

Jugal Patil, Ankur Singh, Satyam Bhalerao, Syed Mudasir Ahmad, Rakesh M Rawal, Dhiraj Bhatia, Raghu Solanki.

Exosomes are nanoscale extracellular vesicles secreted by cells that possess molecular and pathological characteristics of their cellular origin. Acting as natural carriers, they efficiently transport a diverse cargo of biomolecules, including proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, metabolites, and small molecules facilitating highly specific intercellular communication. Owing to their inherent biocompatibility, target specificity, and cargo versatility, exosomes have emerged as one of the most promising platforms for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. This review comprehensively elaborates on intricate biogenesis and regulatory pathways governing exosome production, examines their structural composition and cargo loading preferences, and highlights emerging strategies to enhance their functional capabilities. We further explore recent breakthroughs at the intersection of exosome biology and nanotechnology, emphasizing their roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis, advancing disease diagnostics, and enabling targeted therapeutic delivery. Finally, we critically address current challenges and limitations in exosome research, offering insights into innovative solutions and future directions for their clinical translation.

Keywords: cargo loading; exosome biogenesis; exosomes; surface engineering; therapeutics

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1021/acsabm.5c01251

Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Oct 23. pii: 10331. [Epub ahead of print]26(21):

Analyses of Exosomal HER2 in Breast Cancer and the Effect of Respective Exosome-Immune Complexes on Trastuzumab-Based Immunotherapy.

Jordan Gorospe, Marjorie Shapiro, Venkateswara R Simhadri.

Monoclonal antibodies like trastuzumab have shown clinical success in cancer treatment, but patient responses vary, and resistance can develop, possibly due to tumor microenvironment factors. In this study, we explored the role of HER2-positive exosomes in counteracting one of the mechanisms of action of trastuzumab: antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). We conducted a comprehensive analysis of HER2 expression on exosomes purified from the plasma of breast cancer patients and different breast cancer cell lines using various purification methods. Purified exosomes were analyzed using the single-particle interferometric reflectance imaging sensor (SP-IRIS)-based ExoView platform. To gain better insight into the formation of exosomal-immune complexes with trastuzumab, we used the ExoView platform to analyze the CD9/HER2/Human IgG phenotype of exosomes at the single vesicle level. Additionally, in a standard functional ADCC assay, formation of exosome-immune complexes with trastuzumab reduced the killing of breast cancer target cells. Together, our findings show that exosomes can function as decoys for immunotherapy, reducing its efficacy, and that SP-IRIS-based analysis can be used to identify levels of HER2-expressing exosomes in patients, which could aid in patient management.

Keywords: ADCC; HER2; SP-IRIS; biomarkers; breast cancer; exosomes; immunotherapy; trastuzumab; tumor microenvironment

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms262110331