The Rising Roles of Exosomes in the Tumor Microenvironment Reprogramming and Cancer Immunotherapy
Overview
Authors
Affiliations
Exosomes are indispensable for intercellular communications. Tumor microenvironment (TME) is the living environment of tumor cells, which is composed of various components, including immune cells. Based on TME, immunotherapy has been recently developed for eradicating cancer cells by reactivating antitumor effect of immune cells. The communications between tumor cells and TME are crucial for tumor development, metastasis, and drug resistance. Exosomes play an important role in mediating these communications and regulating the reprogramming of TME, which affects the sensitivity of immunotherapy. Therefore, it is imperative to investigate the role of exosomes in TME reprogramming and the impact of exosomes on immunotherapy. Here, we review the communication role of exosomes in regulating TME remodeling and the efficacy of immunotherapy, as well as summarize the underlying mechanisms. Furthermore, we also introduce the potential application of the artificially modified exosomes as the delivery systems of antitumor drugs. Further efforts in this field will provide new insights on the roles of exosomes in intercellular communications of TME and cancer progression, thus helping us to uncover effective strategies for cancer treatment.
Exosomes: a double-edged sword in cancer immunotherapy.
Chen J, Hu S, Liu J, Jiang H, Wang S, Yang Z MedComm (2020). 2025; 6(3):e70095.
PMID: 39968497 PMC: 11831209. DOI: 10.1002/mco2.70095.
Extracellular vesicles in tumor immunity: mechanisms and novel insights.
Kuang L, Wu L, Li Y Mol Cancer. 2025; 24(1):45.
PMID: 39953480 PMC: 11829561. DOI: 10.1186/s12943-025-02233-w.
Exosomal ncRNAs in reproductive cancers†.
Kowalczyk A, Wrzecinska M, Galeska E, Czerniawska-Piatkowska E, Camina M, Araujo J Biol Reprod. 2024; 112(2):225-244.
PMID: 39561105 PMC: 11833474. DOI: 10.1093/biolre/ioae170.
Precision Targeting Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer: The Role of Tumor Microenvironment.
Vitorakis N, Gargalionis A, Papavassiliou K, Adamopoulos C, Papavassiliou A Cancers (Basel). 2024; 16(16).
PMID: 39199647 PMC: 11352254. DOI: 10.3390/cancers16162876.
Barathan M, Zulpa A, Ng S, Lokanathan Y, Ng M, Law J Int J Mol Sci. 2024; 25(13).
PMID: 39000577 PMC: 11242358. DOI: 10.3390/ijms25137470.