Recent advances in extracellular vesicles for therapeutic cargo delivery

Exosomes, which are nanosized vesicles secreted by cells, are attracting increasing interest in the field of biomedical research due to their unique properties, including biocompatibility, cargo loading capacity, and deep tissue penetration. They serve as natural signaling agents in intercellular communication, and their inherent ability to carry proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids endows them with remarkable therapeutic potential. Thus, exosomes can be exploited for diverse therapeutic applications, including chemotherapy, gene therapy, and photothermal therapy. Moreover, their capacity for homotypic targeting and self-recognition provides opportunities for personalized medicine. Despite their advantages as novel therapeutic agents, there are several challenges in optimizing cargo loading efficiency and structural stability and in defining exosome origins. Future research should include the development of large-scale, quality-controllable production methods, the refinement of drug loading strategies, and extensive in vivo studies and clinical trials. Despite the unresolved difficulties, the use of exosomes as efficient, stable, and safe therapeutic delivery systems is an interesting area in biomedical research. Therefore, this review describes exosomes and summarizes cutting-edge studies published in high-impact journals that have introduced novel or enhanced therapeutic effects using exosomes as a drug delivery system in the past 2 years. We provide an informative overview of the current state of exosome research, highlighting the unique properties and therapeutic applications of exosomes. We also emphasize challenges and future directions, underscoring the importance of addressing key issues in the field. With this review, we encourage researchers to further develop exosome-based drugs for clinical application, as such drugs may be among the most promising next-generation therapeutics. Nanomedicine, which applies nanotechnology in medicine, has improved drug delivery. Yet, issues like poor drug movement in the body, low absorption, and high toxicity of traditional drugs persist. Scientists are now using nanomedicines, especially nanoparticles, to tackle these problems. Nanoparticles can carry drugs to specific cells, help in imaging and diagnostic methods, or fix body structures at a cellular level. But, they can also cause unwanted immune responses. Hence, researchers are exploring exosomes, substances produced from various cells, as potential drug carriers. These naturally occurring exosomes are less toxic and more compatible with the body than synthetic nanoparticles. This study gives an overview of the current state of exosome research and its potential for drug delivery.This summary was initially drafted using artificial intelligence, then revised and fact-checked by the author.