Objectives: The characteristics of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in many carcinomas have been reported to be different from those in normal tissues, which can be used as prognostic indices in some cancers. However, the difference in GAG characteristics among various differentiation status or histological types of the same cancer has not been described. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between GAG characteristics and human primary hepatic carcinomas of divers differentiation status or histological type. Methods: GAGs from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas and differently differentiated hepatocellular carcinomas were extracted, purified and enzymatically digested. Their content, relative molecular size distribution and disaccharide composition were analyzed and compared using electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: A progressive increase in the content of chondroitin sulfate, low molecular size GAGs, and nonsulfated and disulfated chondroitin sulfate disaccharide units, together with a gradual decrease in heparan sulfate, have been found as the differentiation status of hepatocellular carcinoma became poorer. A significant increase in hyaluronic acid, which only slightly increased in hepatocellular carcinoma, was found in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinomas. Conclusion: The alterations in GAG characteristics in primary hepatic carcinoma were associated with both the differentiation status and the histological type of the tumor.

Cancer has intensively threatened the health and life of human beings across the world. Drug delivery systems (DDSs) can protect the packaged cargoes from degradation; effectively delivery cargoes to specific tissues. Most DDSs are based on functional nanomaterials. As natural nanomaterials, exosomes are secreting by mammalian cells through the multivesicle bodies route. Usually, exosomes possess uniform size ranging from 50 to 150 nm, their membrane surface has many functional proteins and cavity contains RNA, DNA similar to maternal cells. Owing to the high biocompatibility, excellent penetration capability as well as ease to be engineered, exosomes have shown outstanding potentials in delivering therapeutic molecules for cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review summarizes the unique characteristics which makes exosomes promising nanocarrier for cancer treatment. The future developments of exosomes based biomedical applications towards cancer are also outlined. We expect the review will help readers understand the potential value of exosomes based nanocarrier, and also try to elaborate their promising applications.

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