The history of small extracellular vesicles and their implication in cancer drug resistance

Stefano Palazzolo; Vincenzo Canzonieri; Flavio Rizzolio

doi:10.3389/fonc.2022.948843

The history of small extracellular vesicles and their implication in cancer drug resistance

Front Oncol. 2022 Aug 24:12:948843. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2022.948843. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Stefano Palazzolo¹, Vincenzo Canzonieri¹, Flavio Rizzolio^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Pathology Unit, Centro di Riferimento Oncologico di Aviano (CRO) Istituto di ricovero e cura a carattere scientifico (IRCCS), Aviano, Italy.
² Department of Molecular Science and Nanosystems, Ca' Foscary University, Venice, Italy.

Abstract

Small extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the last 20 years are demonstrated to possess promising properties as potential new drug delivery systems, biomarkers, and therapeutic targets. Moreover, EVs are described to be involved in the most important steps of tumor development and progression including drug resistance. The acquired or intrinsic capacity of cancer cells to resist chemotherapies is one of the greatest obstacles to overcome to improve the prognosis of many patients. EVs are involved in this mechanism by exporting the drugs outside the cells and transferring the drug efflux pumps and miRNAs in recipient cells, in turn inducing drug resistance. In this mini-review, the main mechanisms by which EVs are involved in drug resistance are described, giving a rapid and clear overview of the field to the readers.

Keywords: cancer; drug resistance; extra cellular vesicles; oncology; therapy.

Publication types

Review