In vivo self-assembly and delivery of VEGFR2 siRNA-encapsulated small extracellular vesicles for lung metastatic osteosarcoma therapy

Microfluidics-Prepared Ultra-small Biomimetic Nanovesicles for Brain Tumor Targeting

Blood-brain-barrier (BBB) serves as a fatal guard of the central nervous system as well as a formidable obstacle for the treatment of brain diseases such as brain tumors. Cell membrane-derived nanomedicines are promising drug carriers to achieve BBB-penetrating and brain lesion targeting. However, the challenge of precise size control of such nanomedicines has severely limited their therapeutic effect and clinical application in brain diseases. To address this problem, this work develops a microfluidic mixing platform that enables the fabrication of cell membrane-derived nanovesicles with precise controllability and tunability in particle size and component. Sub-100 nm macrophage plasma membrane-derived vesicles as small as 51 nm (nanoscale macrophage vesicles, NMVs), with a narrow size distribution (polydispersity index, PDI: 0.27) and a high drug loading rate (up to 89% for indocyanine green-loaded NMVs, NMVs@ICG (ICG is indocyanine green)), are achieved through a one-step process. Compared to beyond-100 nm macrophage cell membrane vesicles (general macrophage vesicles, GMVs) prepared via the traditional methods, the new NMVs exhibits rapid (within 1 h post-injection) and enhanced orthotopic glioma targeting (up to 78% enhancement), with no extra surface modification. This work demonstrates the great potential of such real-nanoscale cell membrane-derived nanomedicines in targeted brain tumor theranostics.

The biological role of extracellular vesicles in gastric cancer metastasis

Gastric cancer (GC) is a tumor characterized by high incidence and mortality, with metastasis being the primary cause of poor prognosis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are an important intercellular communication medium. They contain bioactive substances such as proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. EVs play a crucial biological role in the process of GC metastasis. Through mechanisms such as remodeling the tumor microenvironment (TME), immune suppression, promoting angiogenesis, and facilitating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesothelial-mesenchymal transition (MMT), EVs promote invasion and metastasis in GC. Further exploration of the biological roles of EVs will contribute to our understanding of the mechanisms underlying GC metastasis and may provide novel targets and strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of GC. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms by which EVs influence GC metastasis from four aspects: remodeling the TME, modulating the immune system, influencing angiogenesis, and modulating the processes of EMT and MMT. Finally, we briefly summarized the organotropism of GC metastasis as well as the potential and limitations of EVs in GC.