The role and clinical applications of exosomes in cancer drug resistance

Wenxuan Pan; Qun Miao; Wenqian Yin; Xiaobo Li; Wencai Ye; Dongmei Zhang; Lijuan Deng; Junqiu Zhang; Minfeng Chen

doi:10.20517/cdr.2024.97

The role and clinical applications of exosomes in cancer drug resistance

Cancer Drug Resist. 2024 Nov 4:7:43. doi: 10.20517/cdr.2024.97. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Wenxuan Pan^{1

2

3}, Qun Miao^{1

2

3}, Wenqian Yin^{1

2}, Xiaobo Li^{1

2}, Wencai Ye^{1

2}, Dongmei Zhang^{1

2}, Lijuan Deng⁴, Junqiu Zhang^{1

2}, Minfeng Chen^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Molecules and Druggability Assessment, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
² College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.
³ Authors contributed equally.
⁴ School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, Guangdong, China.

Abstract

Tumor-secreted exosomes are heterogeneous multi-signal messengers that support cancer growth and dissemination by mediating intercellular crosstalk and activating signaling pathways. Distinct from previous reviews, we focus intently on exosome-therapeutic resistance dynamics and summarize the new findings about the regulation of cancer treatment resistance by exosomes, shedding light on the complex processes via which these nanovesicles facilitate therapeutic refractoriness across various malignancies. Future research in exosome biology can potentially transform diagnostic paradigms and therapeutic interventions for cancer management. This review synthesizes recent insights into the exosome-driven regulation of cancer drug resistance, illuminates the sophisticated mechanisms by which these nanovesicles facilitate therapeutic refractoriness across various malignancies, and summarizes some strategies to overcome drug resistance.

Keywords: Exosome; drug resistance; implications for clinical treatment.

Publication types

Review