| Summary: | Jia Liu,1 Feng Jiang,2 Yu Jiang,1 Yicheng Wang,1 Zelin Li,1 Xuefeng Shi,3– 6 Yanping Zhu,1 Hongbo Wang,1 Zhuhong Zhang1 1School of Pharmacy, Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmacology and Drug Evaluation (Yantai University), Ministry of Education, Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Drug Delivery System and Biotech Drugs in Universities of Shandong, Yantai University, Yantai 264005, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Tianjin Eye Hospital, Tianjin, 300020, People’s Republic of China; 4School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, People’s Republic of China; 5Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300020, People’s Republic of China; 6Tianjin Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Tianjin Eye Institute, Tianjin 300020, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Zhuhong Zhang Email zhzhang0608@ytu.edu.cnAbstract: Exosomes, nanoscale vesicles with a diameter of 30 to 150 nm, are composed of a lipid bilayer, protein, and genetic material. Exosomes are secreted by virtually all types of cells in the human body. They have key functions in cell-to-cell communication, immune regulation, inflammatory response, and neovascularization. Mounting evidence indicates that exosomes play an important role in various diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and brain diseases; however, the role that exosomes play in eye diseases has not yet been rigorously studied. This review covers current exosome research as it relates to ocular diseases including diabetic retinopathy, age-related macular degeneration, autoimmune uveitis, glaucoma, traumatic optic neuropathies, corneal diseases, retinopathy of prematurity, and uveal melanoma. In addition, we discuss recent advances in the biological functions of exosomes, focusing on the toxicity of exosomes and the use of exosomes as biomarkers and drug delivery vesicles. Finally, we summarize the primary considerations and challenges to be taken into account for the effective applications of exosomes.Keywords: extracellular vesicles, exosomes, retina, ocular diseases, drug delivery
|
|---|
