A Review of the Roles of Exosomes in Salivary Gland Diseases with an Emphasis on Primary Sjögren's Syndrome

Overview

Journal J Dent Sci

Date 2025 Jan 28

PMID 39873057

Authors

Xianzhen Cui

Liu Liu

Chengchen Duan

Suning Mao

Guanru Wang

Honglin Li

Cheng Miao

Yubin Cao

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Salivary gland diseases encompass a broad range of conditions, including autoimmune, inflammatory, obstructive, and neoplastic disorders, significantly impacting oral health and overall well-being. Recent research has highlighted the crucial role of exosomes, small extracellular vesicles, in these diseases. Exosomes mediate intercellular communication by transferring bioactive molecules such as proteins, microRNAs, and lipids, positioning them as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic agents. In primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS), exosomes derived from Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells and activated T cells transfer key microRNAs that impair calcium signaling, contributing to glandular dysfunction. Exosome-based biomarkers like Ro/SSA and La/SSB, found in saliva, serum, and tears, offer non-invasive diagnostic tools for early disease detection. Furthermore, mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes show promise in treating pSS by modulating immune responses and promoting tissue repair. While exosomes hold promise for the diagnosis and treatment of other salivary gland diseases, such as radiation-induced xerostomia and sialolithiasis, their application remains limited, necessitating further research to unlock their full diagnostic and therapeutic potential. This review focuses on the role of exosomes in salivary gland diseases, with an emphasis on pSS, and highlights the need for future clinical applications and large-scale trials.

References

Aqrawi L, Galtung H, Vestad B, Ovstebo R, Thiede B, Rusthen S . Identification of potential saliva and tear biomarkers in primary Sjögren's syndrome, utilising the extraction of extracellular vesicles and proteomics analysis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2017; 19(1):14. PMC: 5264463. DOI: 10.1186/s13075-017-1228-x. View

Hou C, Sun N, Han W, Meng Y, Wang C, Zhu Q . Exosomal microRNA-23b-3p promotes tumor angiogenesis and metastasis by targeting PTEN in salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma. Carcinogenesis. 2022; 43(7):682-692. DOI: 10.1093/carcin/bgac033. View

Romero A, Ibuki F, Nogueira F . Sialic acid reduction in the saliva of streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Arch Oral Biol. 2012; 57(9):1189-93. DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2012.02.016. View

Sodnom-Ish B, Eo M, Cho Y, Seo M, Yang H, Kim M . Identification of biological components for sialolith formation organized in circular multi-layers. Sci Rep. 2023; 13(1):12277. PMC: 10382579. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-37462-w. View

Kapsogeorgou E, Abu-Helu R, Moutsopoulos H, Manoussakis M . Salivary gland epithelial cell exosomes: A source of autoantigenic ribonucleoproteins. Arthritis Rheum. 2005; 52(5):1517-21. DOI: 10.1002/art.21005. View

Hade M, Suire C, Suo Z . Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes: Applications in Regenerative Medicine. Cells. 2021; 10(8). PMC: 8393426. DOI: 10.3390/cells10081959. View

Lee L, Wong Y . Pathogenesis and diverse histologic findings of sialolithiasis in minor salivary glands. J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2010; 68(2):465-70. DOI: 10.1016/j.joms.2009.03.041. View

Yu X, Odenthal M, Fries J . Exosomes as miRNA Carriers: Formation-Function-Future. Int J Mol Sci. 2016; 17(12). PMC: 5187828. DOI: 10.3390/ijms17122028. View

AbuBakr N, Haggag T, Sabry D, Salem Z . Functional and histological evaluation of bone marrow stem cell-derived exosomes therapy on the submandibular salivary gland of diabetic Albino rats through TGFβ/ Smad3 signaling pathway. Heliyon. 2020; 6(4):e03789. PMC: 7203080. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03789. View

10.

Pathan M, Fonseka P, Chitti S, Kang T, Sanwlani R, Van Deun J . Vesiclepedia 2019: a compendium of RNA, proteins, lipids and metabolites in extracellular vesicles. Nucleic Acids Res. 2018; 47(D1):D516-D519. PMC: 6323905. DOI: 10.1093/nar/gky1029. View

11.

Lustmann J, Shteyer A . Salivary calculi: ultrastructural morphology and bacterial etiology. J Dent Res. 1981; 60(8):1386-95. DOI: 10.1177/00220345810600080101. View

12.

Li F, Liu Z, Zhang B, Jiang S, Wang Q, Du L . Circular RNA sequencing indicates circ-IQGAP2 and circ-ZC3H6 as noninvasive biomarkers of primary Sjögren's syndrome. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2020; 59(9):2603-2615. DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keaa163. View

13.

Lau C, Wong D . Breast cancer exosome-like microvesicles and salivary gland cells interplay alters salivary gland cell-derived exosome-like microvesicles in vitro. PLoS One. 2012; 7(3):e33037. PMC: 3308964. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0033037. View

14.

Ostrowski M, Carmo N, Krumeich S, Fanget I, Raposo G, Savina A . Rab27a and Rab27b control different steps of the exosome secretion pathway. Nat Cell Biol. 2009; 12(1):19-30. DOI: 10.1038/ncb2000. View

15.

Thomou T, Mori M, Dreyfuss J, Konishi M, Sakaguchi M, Wolfrum C . Adipose-derived circulating miRNAs regulate gene expression in other tissues. Nature. 2017; 542(7642):450-455. PMC: 5330251. DOI: 10.1038/nature21365. View

16.

Suzuki E, Fujita D, Takahashi M, Oba S, Nishimatsu H . Stem cell-derived exosomes as a therapeutic tool for cardiovascular disease. World J Stem Cells. 2016; 8(9):297-305. PMC: 5031891. DOI: 10.4252/wjsc.v8.i9.297. View

17.

Karbanova J, Laco J, Marzesco A, Janich P, Vobornikova M, Mokry J . Human prominin-1 (CD133) is detected in both neoplastic and non-neoplastic salivary gland diseases and released into saliva in a ubiquitinated form. PLoS One. 2014; 9(6):e98927. PMC: 4050055. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098927. View

18.

Ma D, Wu Z, Zhao X, Zhu X, An Q, Wang Y . Immunomodulatory effects of umbilical mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes on CD4 T cells in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Inflammopharmacology. 2023; 31(4):1823-1838. PMC: 10352432. DOI: 10.1007/s10787-023-01189-x. View

19.

Wilson K, Meier J, Ward P . Salivary gland disorders. Am Fam Physician. 2014; 89(11):882-8. View

20.

Lacout A, El Hajjam M, Marcy P . Sialolithiasis: use tomosynthesis!. Diagn Interv Imaging. 2014; 96(4):405-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.diii.2014.11.022. View