The Biogenesis, Biological Functions, and Applications of Macrophage-Derived Exosomes

Xiaoxiao Shan; Caiyun Zhang; Chutian Mai; Xuerui Hu; Nuo Cheng; Weidong Chen; Daiyin Peng; Lei Wang; Zhaojie Ji; Ying Xie

doi:10.3389/fmolb.2021.715461

The Biogenesis, Biological Functions, and Applications of Macrophage-Derived Exosomes

Front Mol Biosci. 2021 Jul 21:8:715461. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2021.715461. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Xiaoxiao Shan^{1

2

3}, Caiyun Zhang^{1

2

3}, Chutian Mai⁴, Xuerui Hu^{1

2

3}, Nuo Cheng^{1

2

3}, Weidong Chen^{1

2

3}, Daiyin Peng^{1

2}, Lei Wang^{1

2

3}, Zhaojie Ji^{1

2}, Ying Xie⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy, Anhui Academy of Chinese Medicine, , Anhui University of Traditional Chinese MedicineHefei, China.
² Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicinal Formula, Hefei, China.
³ Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Technology and Application, Hefei, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Avenida Wai Long, China.

Abstract

Macrophage-derived exosomes have been implicated on the modulation of inflammatory processes. Recent studies have shown that macrophage-derived exosomes contribute to the progression of many diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and heart failure. This review describes the biogenesis of macrophage-derived exosomes and their biological functions in different diseases. In addition, the challenges facing the use of macrophage-derived exosomes as delivery tools for drugs, genes, and proteins in clinical applications are described. The application of macrophage-derived exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases is also discussed.

Keywords: applications; biological functions; formation mechanisms; macrophage-derived exosomes; polarization.

Publication types

Review