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Review
. 2022 Dec 20;13(1):527.
doi: 10.1186/s13287-022-03212-4.

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as a new therapeutic strategy in the brain tumors

Elham Ghasempour #  1 , Shilan Hesami #  1 , Elaheh Movahed  2 , Saeed Heidari Keshel  3 , Mohammad Doroudian  4
Affiliations
Review

Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes as a new therapeutic strategy in the brain tumors

Elham Ghasempour et al. Stem Cell Res Ther. .

Abstract

Brain tumors are one of the most mortal cancers, leading to many deaths among kids and adults. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are available options for brain tumor treatment. However, these methods are not able to eradicate cancer cells. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is one of the most important barriers to treat brain tumors that prevents adequate drug delivery to brain tissue. The connection between different brain parts is heterogeneous and causes many challenges in treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) migrate to brain tumor cells and have anti-tumor effects by delivering cytotoxic compounds. They contain very high regenerative properties, as well as support the immune system. MSCs-based therapy involves cell replacement and releases various vesicles, including exosomes. Exosomes receive more attention due to their excellent stability, less immunogenicity and toxicity compare to cells. Exosomes derived from MSCs can develop a powerful therapeutic strategy for different diseases and be a hopeful candidate for cell-based and cell-free regenerative medicine. These nanoparticles contain nucleic acid, proteins, lipids, microRNAs, and other biologically active substances. Many studies show that each microRNA can prevent angiogenesis, migration, and metastasis in glioblastoma. These exosomes can-act as a suitable nanoparticle carrier for therapeutic applications of brain tumors by passing through the BBB. In this review, we discuss potential applications of MSC and their produced exosomes in the treatment of brain tumors.

Keywords: Blood–brain barrier; Brain tumor; Exosome; Mesenchymal stem cell.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Engineered mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived exosomes inhibit brain tumor progression. The figure was generated by the authors—adobe illustrator version 26.4.1
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Exosome production and structure. Exosomes are a subtype of the extracellular vesicle with a phospholipid bilayer membrane. These nanoparticles are secreted from cells after the fusion of multivesicular bodies (MVBs or late endosomes) with the plasma membrane. The exosomes contain a wide range of proteins, lipids, mRNAs, RNAs, and DNA molecular cargoes. Tetraspanin family of proteins (CD9, CD63, CD81, and CD82) are common exosome-specific markers. The figure was generated by the authors—adobe illustrator version 26.4.1
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Engineering exosome as a novel Strategy for Treatment. Regulating network of exosomal proteins and miRNAs in brain tumors. The figure was generated by the authors—adobe illustrator version 26.4.1
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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