Biocompatible exosomes nanodrug cargo for cancer cell bioimaging and drug delivery

Abstract

Therapy against cancer remains a daunting issue for human health, despite remarkable innovations in many areas of pathology. In situ biosynthesized nanoclusters bestow a novel remedy for carcinogenic cell imaging. Exosomes have received special attention as an efficient tool for the diagnosis of various diseases, including cancers. All types of cells (healthy or diseased) generate exosomes, making them significantly unique for relevant disease diagnosis and treatment. In this contribution, we exploit the possibility of utilizing the exosomes to facilitate chemotherapeutics, viz. the combination of doxorubicin (Dox) and biosynthesized silver nanoclusters in cancer cells. Our study showed a new facile way for bioimaging of cancer cells using biosynthesized silver-DNA nanoclusters, and thus further targeting cancer cells using the relevant cancer exosomes as drug delivery cargo. After isolating exosomes from neoplastic cells, i.e. HeLa, loaded with the drug, and treating other neoplastic cells with cargo-loaded isolated exosomes, we found that cargo-loaded isolated exosomes can readily enter into the targeted cancer cells and efficiently kill these neoplastic cells. This raises the possibility of acting as a novel facile modality for target cancer theranostics with high efficiency and biocompability.

Emerging role of exosomes in cancer progression and tumor microenvironment remodeling

“…In addition, silver nanoclusters were loaded into doxorubicin-coated exosomes. These exosomes enable imaging while delivering doxorubicin to suppress cancer progression, while exhibiting high biocompatibility and safety profile [ 415 ]. In the same study, exosomes were also used to deliver geldanamycin as an HSP90 inhibitor to affect the growth rate of cancer cells [ 416 ].…”

Bioinspired soft nanovesicles for site‐selective cancer imaging and targeted therapies

“…Naturally available surface biomarkers and unilamellar lipid bilayer membrane in cell‐derived vesicles improve their stability in the bloodstream (J. Wang, Chen, & Ho, 2021; Y. Wang et al, 2019). These nanosized structures have been applied for tissue regeneration, targeted cancer cell imaging, stimuli active therapeutics, and drug delivery applications (Chiang et al, 2021; Qambrani et al, 2021; Toh et al, 2018; J. Wang, Chen, & Ho, 2021; Yi et al, 2021). The available large cavity of vesicles makes them suitable for carrying excess amount of anticancer drug molecules or other therapeutic agents to the specific target site (Qambrani et al, 2021; J. Wang, Chen, & Ho, 2021).…”

Clinical Implications of Exosomes: Targeted Drug Delivery for Cancer Treatment

“…Recently, Qambrani et al highlighted that cancer-cell-derived exosomes could be used as both a drug delivery system and as a potential fluorescent biomarker, as shown with HeLa-derived exosomes loaded with doxorubicin and silver nanoclusters [ 118 ]. In a recent study from Zhou et al, exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells were loaded with siRNA and oxaliplatin and were used as an experimental treatment for pancreatic cancer in a mouse model.…”