Exosomes as Actively Targeted Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Yan Wang,1,* Yingru Zhang,1,* Gang Cai,1 Qi Li1,2 1Department of Medical Oncology & Cancer Institute of Integrative Medicine, Shuguang Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China; 2Academy of Integrative Medicine, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qi Li Email [email protected]: In recent years, it has been found that exosomes can be used as nanocarriers, which can be used in the treatment of tumors by carrying contents. The exosomes are derived from the secretion of the organism’s own cells and are characterized by a phospholipid bilayer structure and a small particle size. These characteristics guarantee that the exosomes can carry a wide range of tumor drugs, deliver the drug to the cancer, and reduce or eliminate the tumor drug band. The toxic side effects were significantly eliminated; meanwhile, the therapeutic effects of the drug on the tumor were remarkably improved. This paper reviewed the strategies and drugs presented by different scholars for the treatment of tumors based on the drugs carried by exosomes.Keywords: exosomes, nanocarriers, function, tumor therapy

Keywords

• exosomes
• nanocarriers
• function
• tumor therapy