2022, Vol. 26 ›› Issue (24): 3928-3936

Role and clinical application prospects of exosomal non-coding RNAs in the occurrence and development of glioma

Liu Chao, Zeng Zhaomu, Wen Xichao, Wu Wensong, Sun Chengyuan, Zheng Kebin   

Abstract: BACKGROUND: The prognosis of malignant glioma is still poor after surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Therefore, it is important to clarify the molecular mechanism of glioma development and further explore reliable biomarkers. Non-coding RNAs are enriched and stable in exosomes, and have attracted extensive attention due to their regulatory functions in the initiation and progression of various tumors.
OBJECTIVE: To summarize the research and progress of exosomal non-coding RNA in glioma, introduce the biological sources of exosomal non-coding RNA, elucidate its biological effects in glioma, search for reliable tumor markers, and provide new ideas for the diagnosis and treatment of glioma.
METHODS: Using “exosome, extracellular vesicles, noncoding RNA, glioma, molecule mechanism, biomarkers” as English search terms, 114 articles were searched and summarized in PubMed and Web of Science databases, mainly involving tumor cell proliferation, invasion and angiogenesis of exosomal non-coding RNA in glioma, as well as gene diagnosis and gene therapy of exosomal non-coding RNA in glioma.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Exosomal non-coding RNA selectively packages, secretes and metastases between cells, participates in intercellular communication in tumor microenvironment, and regulates many biological behaviors of gliomas, such as proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, immune escape and therapeutic drug resistance, which plays an important role in the occurrence and development of gliomas. (2) Exosomes contain a variety of functional molecules, which can reflect the complex heterogeneity of the tumor. (3) Exosomes have higher specificity and sensitivity, and are very stable, and can be easily obtained in almost all types of body fluids. These factors make exosomes become the most potential biomarkers, which will be of great help for the diagnosis of gliomas in the future. (4) Exosomes are natural and non-toxic, which are quite similar to the structure of plasma membrane. It can be used as a therapeutic carrier for many therapeutic drugs, carry a variety of bioactive molecules and can easily cross the blood-brain barrier. Through exosomes to develop targeted anti-glioma drugs, it can not only break through the blood-brain barrier, but also avoid immune rejection. (5) The combination of exosomes and target cells has specific targeting, which greatly improves the feasibility of biological targeted therapy, but there are still some difficulties in clinical application, such as the difficulty of sorting exosomes, the limited content of exosomal non-coding RNA, and how to make exocrine reach the tumor site accurately. (6) With the further study of exosomal non-coding RNA in glioma, it will provide a new way to overcome the problem of glioma in the future.
Key words: exosome, extracellular vesicles, noncoding RNA, glioma, molecular mechanism, biomarkers, tumor microenvironment, target therapy