Tumor cell-derived exosomes regulate macrophage polarization: Emerging directions in the study of tumor genesis and development

Siyuan Tan; Haodong Tang; Yang Wang; Peng Xie; Haifeng Li; Zheng Zhang; Jiahua Zhou

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19296

Tumor cell-derived exosomes regulate macrophage polarization: Emerging directions in the study of tumor genesis and development

Heliyon. 2023 Aug 22;9(9):e19296. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19296. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Authors

Siyuan Tan¹, Haodong Tang¹, Yang Wang^{1

2}, Peng Xie^{1

2}, Haifeng Li^{1

2}, Zheng Zhang¹, Jiahua Zhou^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China.
² Department of Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Surgery, Zhongda Hospital Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, Jiangsu Province, China.

Abstract

As an extracellular vesicle, exosomes play an important role in intercellular information transmission, delivering cargos of the parent cell, such as RNA, DNA, proteins, and lipids, activating different signaling pathways in the target cell and regulating inflammation, angiogenesis, and tumor progression. In particular, exosomes secreted by tumor cells can change the function of surrounding cells, creating a microenvironment conducive to tumor growth and metastasis. For example, after macrophages phagocytose exosomes and accept their cargos, they activate macrophage polarization-related signaling pathways and polarize macrophages into M1 or M2 types to exert antitumor or protumor functions. Currently, the study of exosomes affecting the polarization of macrophages has attracted increasing attention. Therefore, this paper reviews relevant studies in this field to better understand the mechanism of exosome-induced macrophage polarization and provide evidence for exploring novel targets for tumor therapy and new diagnostic markers in the future.

Keywords: Exosomes; Macrophage polarization; Signaling pathways; Tumor.

Publication types

Review