Exosomes as a novel pathway for regulating development and diseases of the skin (Review)

Abstract

Abstract. Exosomes are one of the most potent intercellular communicators, which are able to communicate with adjacent or distant cells. Exosomes deliver various bioactive molecules, including membrane receptors, proteins, mRNA and microRNA, to target cells and serve roles. Recent studies have demonstrated that exosomes may regulate the functions and diseases of the skin, which is the largest organ of the human body. The abnormal functions of the skin lead to the progression of scleroderma, melanoma, baldness and other diseases. A previous study has demonstrated that epithelial progenitor cells are rich in several subunits of exosomes that may maintain the proliferative capacity of these epithelial progenitor cells, which is essential for the development of the epidermis. Exosomes derived from human adipose mesenchymal stem cells accelerate skin wound healing by optimizing fibroblast properties; this is beneficial for the recovery of postoperative and other wounds. Exosomes derived from adipocytes promote melanoma migration and invasion through fatty acid oxidation; therefore, in the clinic, it may be possible to improve the prognosis of patients with melanoma by reducing their body fat content. Exosomes derived from keratinocytes modulate melanocyte pigmentation, which has been utilized as a novel mechanism for the regulation of pigmentation in conditions including Moynahan syndrome and albinism. Meanwhile, scleroderma patients with vascular abnormalities may experience decreased serum exosome levels; it may therefore be possible to detect the exosome content in sera in order to diagnose and treat scleroderma. In addition, the use of exosomes has been suggested to promote or enhance hair growth, which has been demonstrated to be highly effective. These studies have provided new opportunities and therapeutic strategies for understanding how exosomes regulate intercellular communication in pathological processes of the skin.

Human Adipose Tissue-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Attenuate Atopic Dermatitis by Regulating the Expression of MIP-2, miR-122a-SOCS1 Axis, and Th1/Th2 Responses

“…Exosomes of AdMSCs can regulate intercellular communication in pathological processes of the skin ( Liu et al, 2018 ). The AdMSCs-exosomes can significantly decrease the expression levels of various inflammatory cytokines such as IL-4, IL-23, IL-31, and TNF-α in AD skin lesions of Nc/Nga mice ( Cho et al, 2018 ).…”

Immunoregulatory role of exosomes derived from differentiating mesenchymal stromal cells on inflammation and osteogenesis

“…Various studies have also provided evidence that MSC‐derived exosomes are crucial cardioprotective agents: They can reduce not only infarct size but also cardiomyocyte apoptosis (Barile et al, ; Lai et al, ). Of note, the beneficial effects of MSC‐derived exosomes are not limited to cardiac regeneration, the therapeutic effects similar to cardioprotective ones can also be obtained in the form of alleviation of acute lung injury (Khatri, Richardson, & Meulia, ; promotion of lung, kidney, or brain injury repair (Aghajani Nargesi, Lerman, & Eirin, ); and acceleration of wound healing (Liu, Wang, & Wang, ). Exosomes and their microRNAs are regarded as critical players in bone regeneration.…”

MicroRNA-21-Enriched Exosomes as Epigenetic Regulators in Melanomagenesis and Melanoma Progression: The Impact of Western Lifestyle Factors

“…MiR-21 in MM cells is either synthesized intracellularly or transferred from the tissue environment by miR-21-enriched exosomes that recently gained high interest within the pathogenesis of various skin diseases including MM [ 96 , 97 ]. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (EVs) of endocytic and secretory exocytic origin that mediate three-dimensional communication between cells.…”